Beta Test and Release

1 Beta Test
2 Release
3 What is a Beta?
4 Other Technical Info
5 Source

Beta Test

Final Fantasy XIV will have a beta test for the PC, followed by a PS3 beta test after. The Beta Test itself will be preceded by an alpha test, which has begun to invite testers as of VanaFest 2010. The alpha test is typically relatively brief, and is followed by a closed beta, which will be expanding and inviting more testers at certain time intervals, finally followed by an open beta at a later stage, prior to the actual launch of the game.

Although the FFXIV beta plans are still being finalized, SquareEnix has confirmed that the game will have a longer test than FFXI. Based on that, the Final Fantasy XIV testing period should last for over 4 months as FFXI's lasted 3-4 months. The Beta testing sites will officially launch on March 11, 2010, and will require a Square Enix ID and password to register. Beta invites will not be used as a means of providing log in or account information, but simply work as a means of notifying the user of their participation in the Beta test.

The respective Beta testing sites can be found at the following URLs:

The games director, Hiromichi Tanaka, confirmed in an interview with Game Watch on Oct 2, 2009, that the Beta will be PC only. However, the beta applications themselves explain that a PS3 Beta test will occur, but at a later date. It will be starting as a closed Beta for 10,000 testers, expanding at several times, before being opened to the public. They plan on having a full population as early as Summer 2010.

The FFXIVCore Community has several useful topics on the Alpha and Beta test, and fans interested in volunteering for testing should check them out for information regarding samples of the invite e-mails, testing dates, information on expectations and the NDA, and much more. You can see all of that information here.

Release

Beta testing apps are now open! Apply here: http://entry.ffxiv.com/ Good luck!

As the game seems to be incredibly well on track it is expected that the game will be released no later than the end of 2010 and after the beta test concludes, though current community speculation is Fall 2010. The biggest impact on the release date however will likely be the Beta Test, as the results of testing may no doubt affect the planned release date..

What is a Beta?

A beta test is generally conducted in multiple stages, the first being conducted primarily by "inside members" of the company, development team, etc. One could consider this the final stage of actual game development (not including content expansion). The tests to follow are generally done in waves, and select members are chosen sometimes from mailing lists, sometimes from direct applications, sometimes keys are given to different hubs for distribution (ie: FilePlanet) and sometimes to dedicated communities like the one you're at now. Also, make sure to pre-order the game as soon as the option becomes available.

These members are then given access to a special forum where they will be in close communication with the developers to work out any glitches found. During this stage they are usually put under an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) which means they are not allowed to provide information about the game to the public during the testing period. This stage usually occupies the bulk of the beta.

Once the major bugs and glitches have been ironed out, an open beta will likely be conducted with the goal of testing the server's capability to handle major traffic and find any little bugs that might have been overlooked. There's no guaranteed way to be selected for a beta test, though, oftentimes it's necessary to test a wide variety of PC configurations. So hey, if you have multiple PC's, and multiples emails... it may not be a bad idea to hedge your bets.