Betas are nothing new in the industry but in recent times they do appear to be increasing in regularity and while getting some early hands-on access for consumers can never be a bad thing, it is starting to look like public betas could be hurting publishers when their games aren’t up to scratch.
The most recent example being Star Wars Battlefront, whose hype train appeared to lose a lot of speed after its open beta and pretty much ground to a halt on the Xbox One after the early EA Access went live. Granted a lot of people are still enjoying the game but the general consensus is that the game looks incredible but is pretty shallow and generic and not worth the full cost of a AAA game.
Previously Evolve hit the same problem with a beta, with the game being applauded for it’s uniqueness and gameplay mechanics but in the end it didn’t have the staying power to outlast a beta – and in a game that requires such deep team work the idea of matching with randoms killed any chance it had.
And now Rainbow 6 Siege seems to be suffering the same fate with a game that is mechanically very sound, but possibly not deep enough to keep people engrossed for months – and again, the teamwork factor is a serious problem.
I enjoyed one or two matches of Rainbow 6 Siege in the previous beta but the lag was really bad for me and the matchmaking definitely wasn’t up to par.
My download for the new beta started last night and plan on giving it a try later today but I’ve already seen a few complaints on the Internet about lag and people struggling to find games. If these serious problems aren’t resolved a week before release I am sure Ubisoft can expect a slew of cancellations as a beta this close to release can surely only be to test server load and not resolve core problems.
With Evolve, Star Wars Battlefront and Black Ops 3 all reportedly not hitting sales targets and all having thorough betas this year can we expect the number of open betas to actively drop in the coming year?
Oh and – tangentially – on a scale of 1-10 on the chances of Rainbow Six Siege doing well locally, it gets a sterling 4/10.
Last Updated: November 25, 2015
Nikola
November 25, 2015 at 12:13
Well that’s disappointing as I am downloading the beta as we speak:( But I kind of knew and said the main problem with this game is same as Evolve team work I am worried u may need a pre set team for u to enjoy the matches other wise it will be impossible to have fun like in Evolve..
Hammersteyn
November 25, 2015 at 12:19
Evolve players were like this at launch…
*Runs
https://45.media.tumblr.com/7c1a8aa4df55837ba9faee2c8d4be65d/tumblr_ny4fir3jTm1tyncywo1_500.gif
Loftus
November 25, 2015 at 12:28
Why are you running ? There is no Evolve players left to run from! hahaha
Hammersteyn
November 25, 2015 at 12:50
LOL
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 25, 2015 at 12:33
Where’d all the awards go?! I mean, food.
Hammersteyn
November 25, 2015 at 12:56
hahaha
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 25, 2015 at 13:00
They still brag about that on their Steam page. So sad. There’s a grand total of 104 people playing it right now. Woohoo.
Hammersteyn
November 25, 2015 at 13:08
http://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/aYbvp9N_460sa.gif
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
November 25, 2015 at 13:28
That little calico is like “Fuck you bro, where’s the treats, simian homie?”
Aries
November 25, 2015 at 12:31
If Valve had made Rainbow then it would have been the new CS maybe for awhile
Nikola
November 25, 2015 at 13:23
That my friend would be epic!
Hammersteyn
November 25, 2015 at 12:17
Evolve, Star Wars Battlefront and Black Ops 3 are about as deep as a kiddies pool. That’s why people stopped playing Evolve, rags on Battlefront for having a ludicrous season pass and no SP and also BLOPS is two modes with classes being the new thing. PVP games selling at AAA prices are a bad idea. Same with Rainbow Six and possibly Overwatch.
Gareth Smith
November 25, 2015 at 12:31
@Hammer – Personally, I feel as though MP games are enjoyed for a hell of a lot longer than SP games. Why pay $60 for a SP game that you’ll play for 50 – 60 hours when you can get a good MP game that you can sink hundreds of hours into.
I have absolutely no problem with “AAA” MP games being the same price as an AAA SP game.
More to the point however, I played the closed beta and have once again downloaded it to test in the open beta. My experience from the closed beta was not great. The game was not nearly as graphically good as I have come to expect from AAA titles in 2015 and it continually crashed to desktop. After which there was no system to reconnect to your current game, leaving your mates to either finish on their own or restart and try again. I think we managed to finish one game of terrorist hunt and rarely dabbled in the main multiplayer mode. I’m hoping that most of this has been sorted out as I feel the game has a lot of potential, although that seems to be the story of 2015 games.
Aries
November 25, 2015 at 12:33
I want this game to work, got a quite a few friends to lobby up with on PC, but first there must be local servers and the game must be playable at launch
Gareth Smith
November 25, 2015 at 12:47
^Agreed
Mossel
November 25, 2015 at 13:33
I downloaded the open beta. And if I’m impressed I’ll be getting it as well!
Aries
November 25, 2015 at 14:29
I cant download it this time, my internet not being good plus Im nearly throttled so ya
Hammersteyn
November 25, 2015 at 12:39
Well we’ll have to see when the game launches. I get bored from PVP. how many times can you play team deathmatch on the same maps. Over and over. Also there’s little joy playing on overseas servers. SP games have stories and character development. It’s like a interactive adventure. MGS has a 100 hours of my time and Fallout 4 will probably get double that. Being on the receiving end of a teabag isn’t why I play games.
Gareth Smith
November 25, 2015 at 12:46
Okay, I get that. That’s why gamers are a diverse bunch. I love PvP, always have. I just don’t get the same “satisfaction” from killing AI as when you’re able to one-up another player.
On the other hand, I too have sunk endless hours into really great SP games and agree that without local servers this game has little chance. I’m kinda hoping that, with local server support, this game could do quite well as an e-sport.
Hammersteyn
November 25, 2015 at 12:48
It could and should do great as an e-sport if Ubisoft gets their crap together.
Mossel
November 25, 2015 at 13:32
hahaha! I wrote my comment, read yours and realized we say almost the same thing!
Gareth Smith
November 25, 2015 at 13:44
=)
RustedFaith
November 25, 2015 at 12:48
I agree 100% mp games are boring mostly compared to a single player adventure.
Shooting someone in the face might give some ppl a kick but it doesnt come close to single player. Not to mention the constant douches and mentally challenged people playing and messing your game up.
Il take single player games over that any day.
Mossel
November 25, 2015 at 13:32
I find joy in both MP and SP. I absolutely hate co-op for some odd reason. Just don’t see the point in working together to beat AI. I’d rather work together to outsmart other humans. MP gives me a sense of achievement, the same you get for scoring a try in rugby or hitting a six in cricket. SP gives me a different joy, the same (arguably better) experience as a blockbuster movie.
Nikola
November 25, 2015 at 13:26
Depends who you are to be honest we all enjoy different things. Like I would never buy a game that has no single player campaign is just ludicrous to me but that’s what I play games for to experience a new universe story. But I also do enjoy a good multiplayer game especially the CO Op games I despise the whole mp games that are just arean matches one after another get bored after 5 minutes.
I am hoping to jump in tonight onto the beta tonight and check it out! But from the feedback i hear is not that great which is disappointing!
Ir0nseraph
November 25, 2015 at 12:37
I agree , RB6 doesn’t have enough content , drop the price by 50% and I will bite.
Nikola
November 25, 2015 at 13:27
I fully agree with you those games just have no soul whatsoever bland bland games with very mediocre mechanics even though Evolve was a great idea!
oVg
November 25, 2015 at 12:32
“Alpha is Beta and Beta is Alpha”
Liam Neeson Fallout 3 😛
Loftus
November 25, 2015 at 12:33
My main gripe with any multiplayer online game is “the others”. I tend to avoids such games. Learnt my lesson with WoW
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
November 25, 2015 at 13:26
I agree, sometimes you just want to sit at home, all alone, with no pants on, playing a single player game with your headset on.
Darren Peach
November 25, 2015 at 13:04
I was seriously optimistic about the very first incarnation of this game, but then they went and changed it into a very one dimensional type experience. But, Truth be told, this game was always going to be a non event in SA cause it clearly relies on fast internet.