In the realm of video game development, the term “beta” has become a staple in marketing strategies, often used to generate excitement and anticipation for upcoming titles. However, Prokop Jirsa, the lead designer for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and one of Warhorse Studios’ new creative directors, challenges the conventional understanding of what a beta truly represents.
Redefining the Beta Experience
During a recent interview, Jirsa shared insights from his early years in game development, highlighting a significant disconnect between public perception and the reality of game production. He remarked, “People are used to some ‘beta versions,’ but those are not beta versions.” This statement raises an intriguing question about the authenticity of the pre-release experiences that players often engage with.
Jirsa elaborated on the disparity between what players experience in these so-called betas and the actual state of games during internal testing phases. He noted that what is presented to the public is often far more polished than the true internal alphas or betas. “The things that get to the public—and that the public sometimes hates because of how horribly they run and how unfinished they are—that’s still much more polished than what actual internal betas or alphas look like,” he explained.
This revelation suggests that the gaming community may have been misled. Jirsa humorously posited that these pre-release demos might more accurately be classified as gammas, deltas, or even epsilons, rather than true betas. He illustrated the development process with a candid analogy: “If you judge it, quality-wise, from a player’s perspective, it doesn’t grow linearly. It’s like, shitty, shitty, shitty, shitty, slightly less shitty, and it skyrockets when you’re finishing and polishing to the quality you want to have.”
One of the key factors contributing to this non-linear progression is the sheer amount of time and effort required to create a polished game. Jirsa reflected on his own experiences, stating, “How long some things take… the fact of how slow [it can be] and how many people have to work on something for it to be really nice and polished. It takes months! Sometimes years!” He expressed disbelief at the successful release of the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance, given the limited resources and tight timelines the team faced.
As the gaming industry continues to evolve, it becomes increasingly important for developers and players alike to understand the nuances of game development. Jirsa’s insights serve as a reminder that the journey from concept to completion is often more complex than it appears, and that what players may perceive as a beta is merely a glimpse into a much larger and intricate process.
