"Funcom changes direction based on feedback: Now granting beta access to Dune: Awakening pre-orderholders"
Joined at the Hip: Preorderers and the Dune: Awakening Beta
Bonjour fellow gamers! Buckle up, because we've got ourselves a fun little kerfuffle to discuss, courtesy of Dune: Awakening and its recently commenced beta weekend.
Now, if you're one of the many eager sand-worshippers who plunked down some cash in advance, brace yourself – the beta isn't automatically your oyster, much to our collective bewilderment.
"Game on! Anyone who pre-ordered Dune: Awakening can now join the Beta Weekend," announced Funcom on their social media platforms, seemingly a tad late to the party.
"Listened to your voices. If you already own or decide to pre-order any of the editions this weekend, you should now see a Beta Weekend product in your Steam library."
Previously, there were various methods to lay your hands on one of the "tens of thousands" of beta keys Funcom doled out prior to the weekend, but it seemed a bit peculiar that preorderers weren't guaranteed the key to the kingdom. Even folks who pulled out their wallets early for the game had to cross their fingers and hope for a lucky draw in a giveaway to play during this weekend, despite beta access generally being a sweet, advanced ordering perk.
In an unexpected twist of events, Funcom eventually realized they needn't have given their most devoted fans the cold shoulder, and swiftly rectified the situation.
However, this quick fix raises another question mark: many a preorderer, who may have secured a beta key through a giveaway, have likely already claimed it. Which means, alas, that a perfectly good giveaway key could've gone to someone who hadn't yet preordered.
Nothing disastrous, of course, but feels a tad sloppy considering yesterday Funcom mentioned, "This ain't our first rodeo," in reference to server stability, and this beta weekend snafu feels like a bit of a misstep right out of the gate.
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Our resident writer, Chris Livingston, began his gaming journey in the 80s, started scribbling about games in the early 00s, and finally got paid to pen his thoughts in the late 00s. A regular freelancer before joining the ranks of PC Gamer in 2014, Chris can't decide if he prefers survival games or NPC gossip wars. He's also fond of quirky simulations, mods, and sidestepping storylines in RPGs to create his own.
[1] Preorders were not automatically included because the beta was a closed event rather than an open beta accessible to all preorders.[2] Chris Livingston is the writer responsible for the piece.[3] Funcom eventually decided to open up beta weekend access to preorderers due to feedback from fans.
- Fans who pre-ordered Dune: Awakening can now join the Beta Weekend, as announced by Funcom on their social media platforms.
- Many players were bewildered when they found out that pre-ordered copies did not automatically grant beta access, unlike previous games.
- Gadget enthusiasts may find the latest technology offerings appealing when planning their preorders for upcoming games like Dune: Awakening.
- Chris Livingston, a long-time gamer and current writer for PC Gamer, often finds himself drawn to quirky simulations and mods within the gaming world.
- In the simplified framework of MMOs (Massively Multiplayer Online Games), preordering could serve as a ticket to early access, much like the beta weekend for Dune: Awakening.
- This weekend's beta snafu suggests that Funcom's "This ain't our first rodeo" comment about server stability might have been premature, causing some worries among fans and technology aficionados.
