The Secret World just released Newsletter 14 which contained an interesting tidbit of information. The upcoming first Beta weekend will allow for the creation of Templar characters and the exploration of Soloman Island and Kingsmouth.
The forums are expressing mixed emotions about the gated access to the Beta weekend and the lack of PvP opportunity. However, it makes sense to me to limit Beta access to show off what the game can do and explore some aspects of game play while not allowing people to play the game for free without restriction prior to launch. This is a very smart move given the marketing strategy of the Facebook game and the numerous forum threads which instruct players to use the beta to try it and then cancel if you hate it.
Personally, betas, be they open, closed, or weekends, are about bug testing and mechanic breaking to ensure a smooth and successful completed project come launch day. If you only want beta access to determine how polished a game is prior to release or so that you can play for free and never buy the finished project, then in the long run you are doing yourself and game companies a disservice. Games cost money to create, maintain, and expand and let’s be honest, if you can’t afford the initial buy-in cost and monthly subscription rate perhaps you need to be focusing on making real life better for you and yours and not losing yourself in a make believe world.
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