[MUD-Dev] Rewarding Beta Testers (There's Pricing Deal)

[Walton]

From: Samurai Cat! @ Catacombs [mailto:samurai at catacombs.com]
> At 05:16 PM 9/11/2003 -0700, David Loving  wrote:

>> I think that there is a reward that beta testers do deserve- a
>> free copy of the finished game. It doesn't cost much money to
>> produce the physical goods and they are still paying the monthly
>> subscription. IMHO it's not worth $45 for a game that you have to
>> turn around and pay even more for just the right to play, even
>> with the first month free especially if I contributed to the
>> development even in only a very small way. But, you can't give
>> away CD's to everyone, of course.

> Personally, I (and hundreds/thousands of other past/present beta
> testers, I would guess) think that's a peachy idea. And not even
> CDs - just a link to a downloadable client and a cd/account key
> would do it for 99% of folks, methinks. It's much more feasable
> than lifetime accounts, financially. Most folks I've talked to,
> who I've been in beta with, don't seem to have any real issue with
> paying the monthly fee like everyone else - but the most frequent
> "why didn't they" bit was the free client issue.

The real reason this doesn't happen for games distributed via retail
is velocity.  Anything that lowers first day/week/month velocity is
seen as highly detrimental to the titles potential success.
Testers, if the game is compelling are likely to be the first buyers
after all.  And the retailers despise any and all direct
distribution schemes instituted by publishers.

The other problem is if we offer "compensation" *of any kind* to
testers, it falls squarely into the volunteer legal issues currently
working their way through the legal system in the USA.

Food for thought: The future of MMOG game development may lie
overseas strictly due to legal issues in some countries...

Gordon Walton
Sony Online Entertainment
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