Neverwinter's open beta soft launches today
Ever wonder what the heck an MMO soft launch actually is? Me too, which is funny because you'd think I'd know, working for an MMO site and whatnot. Soft launch implies that somewhere out in game land there's also a hard launch, which is a term that I've never heard once despite following the industry for decades now.
Is soft launch merely a marketing construct, or perhaps devspeak for a free-to-play MMO that operates in some sort of perpetual beta in spite of a working cash shop? Or is it simply a term that denotes the beginning of an open beta period that is free of character wipes, as is the case with today's Neverwinter pseudo-release? The definition is up to you, I suppose, and while you're mulling that one over, you can also click past the cut for a roundup of our best pre-soft-launch Neverwinter coverage.
Massively's Neverwinter early access launch diary: Day two | |
Massively's Neverwinter early access launch diary: Day one | |
Massively Exclusive: Neverwinter pre-launch interview, part two | |
Massively Exclusive: Neverwinter pre-launch interview, part one | |
New dev blog details Neverwinter's crafting | |
Neverwinter Days: Choosing your first class | |
Massively Exclusive: Neverwinter's Rothe Valley | |
Neverwinter gives players the freedom to buy skills | |
Neverwinter Days: Can the Foundry succeed? | |
See Neverwinter's Devoted Cleric in action | |
New Neverwinter Rogue video emerges from the shadows | |
New Neverwinter trailer introduces the Jewel of the North | |
Hands-on with Neverwinter's Control Wizard | |
Jewel of the North: Impressions of Neverwinter to the level 30 cap | |
Your first 15 minutes in Neverwinter | |
First impressions of Neverwinter's beta | |
Massively's video guide to Neverwinter character creation | |
Neverwinter's Cloak Tower: A photo essay |