On September 7th, 2008 – just 11 days before the release of the final game – Warhammer Online allowed 50,000 subscribers to experience “open beta.”
Designed to give dedicated individuals a chance to try the game before it is released to the public, Warhammer Online’s open beta is not the first opportunity for people to see the game, but it is the first chance people have to see the game and tell other people about it.
Last month, Warhammer Online had its closed beta open, and lucky users were allowed to play the game and check for bugs, errors, and overall impressions. While reviews of the game were still released, photos of the game and other aspects that EA wants to keep a secret have been muted by the NDA. Now, users can finally talk about the game more openly, share it with their friends and even take and share screenshots of the game with the rest of the world.
First Chance
This open beta is the first chance for people to experience the entire game. The closed beta was only a little taste of what was yet to come, and since game play is finally open, we – as fans and gamers – have a chance to learn more about the game and, most likely, report on all of the bugs and complain about the server.
But we also get a chance to see what might become the next great MMORPG, and that is a great opportunity.
Not in the UK
Europe, however, has had to miss out on the beginning of the beta process. GOA (the European country backing the game) did not do a good enough job planning for the large number of users logging in at the same time, causing the authentication system to crash from a bug that was not found during testing.
But that will be fixed in time, and European gamers will soon have their chance to play the game during open beta, and everyone will have a chance to play the game come September 18th.
This is going to be an exciting few weeks.
