There is a special treat for those who attend QuakeCon 2015, and that is hands on with DOOM multiplayer.
Bethesda, now offering this prize at Quakecon instead of for Wolfenstein: The New Order pre-order holders, have not forgotten about the promise they made to fans for beta and alpha access to their returning shooter franchise. Over at the official Bethesda blog, the company had this to say:
“Attendees at QuakeCon 2015 may be the first to go hands on with pre-alpha Doom multiplayer, but we still have big plans for fans that pre-ordered Wolfenstein: The New Order.”
All those who pre-purchased the game will get beta access, as promised, next year before id Software’s latest release the general public. That means all those who have redeemed their physical beta codes, or who pre-purchased digitally, have been placed into a beta-pool. The Quakecon 2015 pool will split into random users from PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 to take part in the alpha, which will be coming in the next few months.
So, if you aren’t chosen to be part of the elite Doom alpha squad, then QuakeCon 2015 is your only chance for a until next year.
But if you are okay with waiting just a little longer, you can enjoy the beta next year. It will be interesting to see how ‘finished’ the product looks and feels at alpha stage when compared to beta. There is a real benefit to companies allowing access at alpha and beta. Fans will be able to see the development process first hand, and can see the product mature and improve throughout its development period. It also benefits Bethesda in that they have thousands of un-paid testers waiting anxiously to try Doom, so why not use them right?
You can read the official post on Bethblog.