As far as analysts are concerned, the ongoing Halo 3 beta is less of a bug finding necessity and more of a clever way to market blockbuster games. Speaking to Reuters, Michael Pachter from Wedbush Morgan had this to say about the game that helped move over 700,000 copies of the golden ticket to the Halo 3 beta we collectively call Crackdown.
“This public beta is clearly just to promote the game. It’s highly unlikely there will be material added to the game because of this.”
While the concept of using demos and betas to attract gamers is hardly news to anyone who has played a video game in the past few years, Pachter expands on the notion some more.
“In addition to raising brand awareness of one of the most popular games in Microsoft’s arsenal, the Halo 3 beta has the added benefit of bringing in thousands of lapsed Xbox Live players.
Microsoft is masterfully building this. It builds loyalty, it promotes online and most important, it makes loyal customers feel special. It’s the beginning of a new trend in the console world.”
With the recent announcement that Halo 3 will be available on store shelves in September, the idea that bug fixes are not the real reason behind the sneak peek called the Halo 3 beta might not be much of a reach. For what can only be described as a rare occurrence, I find myself believing what an analyst is preaching from the fiery pulpit of the church of projected misconceptions.
Quick! Somebody summon Captain Obvious and see if he makes house calls. I just might have located a mythical unicorn an aberration in the fabric of the time-space continuum. After all, this guy actually plays video games, unlike a lot of the “experts” out there.
[Via Reuters]
