After we got a timeframe for the beta of Fallout 76 in October, Bethesda is apparently considering another, smaller beta even before October. What is this all about?
As Bethesda recently announced, the selection of beta players and the beta itself will start in October. Many fans have now expressed concern that there won’t be enough time for the beta to gather sufficient feedback for the final game.
A beta for the beta?
Pete Hines, Vice President of Marketing at Bethesda, has now addressed these concerns. They are working on it and will likely release a smaller beta beforehand.
The purpose of this small beta could be to better prepare for the “main beta”. The small beta could appear about five days earlier. However, it is also possible that it takes place already three weeks in advance. This depends on how much time Bethesda needs to gather enough feedback.
Players also need to pre-order for this beta
What do players need to do to participate in this smaller beta? According to Hines, they don’t need to do anything other than pre-order Fallout 76, just like with the normal beta. A smaller number of players will then be selected in advance from this pool to participate in the later beta.
First online game of this kind for the development team
What is behind it? For Bethesda Game Studios, Fallout 76 is the first online game. Therefore, it makes sense not to start just a single large test phase. With several betas, they have the opportunity to gather more feedback.
After all, the fan base is skeptical about an online Fallout and responds with suspicion to many news concerning Fallout 76. Bethesda has repeatedly apologized to single-player fans and has emphasized time and again that they have not turned their backs on single-player titles.
What do you think about the idea?
