Diablo II Beta Test
You've got to hand it to Blizzard. Months before Diablo II will be released, the online gaming sites are already brimming with positive coverage of game based on the closed beta test.  While the beta version of Diablo is really intended to help squash bugs and perfect the gameplay, a positive side effect is the huge online buzz generated by the pre-release software.  Yes it's a risk to send out betas of a game before its released, but with a solid game like Diablo II, the result is a swell of positive press coverage that money can't buy.  If gamers weren't excited about Diablo II before the beta test, you better believe every gamer worth his or her salt now has the game on the radar map – and rightfully so, as Diablo II looks to be a faithful and addictive new addition to Blizzard's preeminent RPG world.

The Diablo II beta test also sends a message to developers and publishers who are looking to generate positive press coverage for their game ahead of release: a closed beta might not be a bad idea.  While some games have done limited beta tests with mixed results, Blizzard's strategy works because the press is a part of the beta along with a thousand other gamers across North America…and of course because the game has proven to be well worth the wait.

  Next, find out about the non-violent version of Soldier of Fortune >>>

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