Betawatch: The Elder Scrolls Blades gets a closed beta before early access
It always seemed like things along the way to launch could head down the route of early access or beta testing. But no, it seems The Elder Scrolls: Blades has opted to do both, with a closed beta starting before early access starts. Maybe we can just continue to pile on “play this but it’s not launched” stages until we reach the fabled gamma testing stage, which is when your video game turns into the Hulk. The rest of the beta world continues on untrammeled, however. Let’s check in on that!
- The name of the game is Dark and Light, implying the need for balance. Dark and light! Good and evil! Moving toward full launch and shutting down a whole lot of early access servers! Is that last one still about balance? Sure, why not.
- Population Zero moves into its first alpha this weekend, at least for backers and lucky alpha key recipients.
- This weekend brings beta testing to The Division 2, and it promises to have lots of new content for you to test. We haven’t played it yet, but we’re going to assume that it involves shooting stuff.
- For our readers living in Egypt or Turkey, you’ll be happy to know that Silkroad Online Mobile is in closed beta testing in those regions! Or perhaps you’ll be neutral to know that. It’s not really our place to inform you what should spark joy.
- Last but not least, we heard you like to play Breach so we gave Breach players keys for friends to play Breach so more people play Breach.
That’s as many times as we need to say Breach this week! Aside from that sentence. We also have more beta titles in the list down below if you’re curious; if you notice something missing or a title that’s changed test phases without us noticing, let us know down in the comments.
As always, we consider an MMO to be in open testing if it features free, public signups and will server wipe prior to launch. An MMO is marked in closed testing if it’s running a private test phase that cannot freely be accessed by the general public; it’s usually under NDA as well. Early access and crowdfunded MMOs whose tests we deem legitimate will be included. So-called “open beta” soft-launch MMOs with cash shops, no sign of launch in the west, or limited interest for our readers will not be listed; we also do not list expansions, with occasional exceptions.
- AdventureQuest 3D: Open beta
- Arcfall: Pre-alpha
- Ashes of Creation: Alpha one; battle royale spinoff holding test weekends
- Camelot Unchained: Closed beta (one)
- Children of Ur: Open alpha
- Citadel: Forged with Fire: Early access
- Crowfall: Backer pre-alpha
- Cube World: Closed alpha
- Dauntless: Open beta
- Dark and Light: Early access
- DayZ: Early access
- Divergence Online: Alpha
- Division 2: Open beta on March 1st
- Dual Universe: Alpha
- ECO: Early access
- Edengrad: Early access
- Eleven: Closed alpha
- Ever, Jane: Open beta
- Kurtzpel: Closed beta
- Gloria Victis: Early access on Steam
- Global Adventures: Closed beta
- Legends of Aria: Early access
- Life is Feudal: Early access
- Line of Defense: Early access, removed from Steam
- Occupy White Walls: Early access
- OrbusVR: Early access beta
- Osiris: New Dawn: Early access
- Pantheon: Backer pre-alpha
- Pathfinder Online: Subscription “early enrollment”
- PixARK: Early access
- Project Genom: Closed alpha, servers offline for restructuring with SpatialOS
- Project Gorgon: Early access beta
- Prosperous Universe: Early access
- Rend: Early access
- SamuTale: Closed alpha
- Ship of Heroes: Pre-alpha
- Star Citizen: Backer alpha
- Starmourn: Open beta
- The Black Death: Early access alpha
- The Cycle: Alpha
- The Repopulation: Early access alpha
- Torchlight Frontiers: Closed alpha
- Valiance Online: Alpha
- Wild Terra: Steam early access
- Worlds Adrift: Early access
