It’s hard to overstate how important beta testing is to the success of a game, but how important is it for a game to make sure it’s testing for the right bugs before it’s ready for release?
Well, as the company behind Alpha Industries explains, it’s not just about testing a game’s bugs, but also for the gameplay itself.
“It’s a very important element of a good beta,” says CEO and founder Chris Pramas.
“There are a lot of times when you’re playing the game, you’re not getting the feedback you need from the beta.
If you’ve ever tried to play a game with a gamepad or even just the mouse, you can probably see the importance of this. “
So when you play your game, it becomes a lot more important for the developer to make changes that make the gameplay experience better for you.”
If you’ve ever tried to play a game with a gamepad or even just the mouse, you can probably see the importance of this.
Pramase says Alpha Industries has a very good track record in making sure the games that they test are ready for launch, but it also helps with the overall game experience.
“I think beta testing helps us create a more polished experience for our players,” Pramases explains.
“We are very much a beta test company, and we have to keep it that way.”
Alpha Industries is one of the few beta testers that Pramasse says can test for all of the different kinds of bugs, and Pramasa is especially excited about what he sees coming out of this process.
“Beta testing is a very powerful tool for us,” he says.
“In this day and age, we need a lot from our players, so we have a lot to prove.
That’s why it’s so important that we can test the right games for the beta testing that we do.”
Pramaseras says Alpha will also be testing its next game, the first-person shooter The Culling, in early 2017.
That title will be based on an Alpha game, The Great Old Ones, and it will feature a new hero, called the Warden.
Pravas says the Warden is a character who will be a major change from his predecessors.
“This new Warden is very much like the Warden from The Great Escape,” he tells me.
“He’s a character that has a lot going for him and will be much more of a threat.
It will be very interesting to see what kind of balance he has.”
The Cullings development team is also working on a new game called The Awakening, which is a game that will be an open world RPG set in the Wild West.
Prapas says that the new game will have a large amount of customization options.
“The Awakening is a completely new experience,” he explains.
This is the kind of open world game that Pravassa is most excited about, as it will include a variety of weapons, vehicles, and quests to complete.
“One of the things we’re most excited to explore with The Awakening is the WildWest style,” Pravassian says.
Pramaas says The Awakening will be released on Xbox One and PC on October 31, with a beta available in early 2018.
If you want to learn more about the Alpha Industries beta testing process, check out the video below.