The last week of the year is always a time of anticipation and a fair amount of “let’s get this dumb year finished already,” so it comes as no surprise that most beta-related news this week is all about getting ready for next year rather than working too hard at the remaining one. Rend, for example, is looking forward to starting its alpha in the start of 2018. What day? Not important yet. It’ll be the start of the year, that’s all you need to know.
Other anticipatory news of the week?
- Camelot Unchained has offered an overview of refining prototypes, developing builds, and other important development approaches. A sign of things to come? Sure, why not.
- Wild West Online’s development roadmap is most definitely a sign of things to come. That’s what a development roadmap is.
- The masters of The Repopulation want to know how you like to play the game. Which is one of those things you can take as a good sign or a bad sign. Maybe it’s a sign that the developers are listening and improving the game, maybe it’s a sign that they aren’t really sure what you have. Which one is true? You decide!
- Last but not least, Chronicles of Elyria is planning an event in which three years of utter darkness cover the land. That’s… not a bright sign of the future. By definition, it’s not bright at all. Worrisome!
And with that, we bring the end of Betawatch… for 2017. Seriously, we’ll be back here next week like always, and we’ve got our usual list below. If something has skipped off to another phase without us noticing, please, do let us know in the comments. Stay safe, and we’ll see you all again when 2018 rolls around.
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
Boundless: Donor alpha
Camelot Unchained:Â Backer alpha
Children of Ur: Open alpha
Citadel: Forged with Fire: Early access
Closers: Closed beta
Crowfall: Backer pre-alpha
Cube World: Closed alpha
Dauntless: Closed beta
Dark and Light: Early access
DayZ: Early access
Divergence Online:Â Alpha
Edengrad: Early access
Eleven:Â Closed alpha
Ever, Jane: Open beta
Gloria Victis: Early access on Steam
H1Z1:Â Paid early access
Just Survive: Paid early access
Legends of Aria: Final alpha, formerly known as Shards Online; closed beta on January 15th
Life is Feudal: Open beta
Line of Defense: Early access, removed from Steam
OrbusVR: Early access
Osiris: New Dawn: Early access
Pathfinder Online: Subscription “early enrollment”
Project Genom: Closed alpha
Project Gorgon: Free, open testing
SamuTale: Closed alpha
Star Citizen: Backer alpha
Stash: Backer alpha
The Black Death: Early access alpha
The Culling: Early access testing
The Exiled: Early access; formerly Das Tal
The Repopulation: Closed alpha
TUG: Steam early access alpha
Valiance Online: Alpha testing
Wild Buster: Limited alpha testing
Wild Terra: Steam early access
Wild West Online: Early access alpha
Worlds Adrift: Closed beta