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. There will be a closed beta at first which is typical for most MMORPGs, followed by an open beta at a later stage for stress testing the game servers and advertisement.

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 games director, Hiromichi Tanaka, confirmed in an interview with Game Watch on Oct 2, 2009, that the Beta will be PC only. It will be starting as a closed Beta for 10,000 testers, before being opened to the public. They plan on having a full population as early as Summer 2010.

Release

Beta testing apps are now open! Apply here: http://entry.ffxiv.com/na/index.html 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 effect 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.