ESO: The big beta tease

Bethesda is continuing to send out beta invites for The Elder Scrolls Online – more went out yesterday. While this is a good sign that development continues, it doesn’t mean a whole lot.

Bethesda would like you to believe they’re “…still ramping up…” More beta invites are coming, blah, blah, blah. Maybe they are, maybe they’re not, but what’s unfair is to tease everyone with “beta” invites, like there’s some sort of chance the average gamer will actually get an invite.

At this stage, Bethesda is inviting a select group, and it’s a group they want to control tightly. Think of it as a bit like winning the lottery. It’s great if you win, but most gamers stand no chance of getting an invite. If you’re like the vast majority of gamers, you won’t get into beta until you buy the game, essentially paying Bethesda to test their code for them.

This is becoming the standard operating procedure for most MMOs, now. It’s an annoying marketing ploy, mostly, meant to keep you interested in their yet-to-be-released game.

So don’t get all excited and go running to your email every time Bethesda teases you.