Well, that could have gone better.
The Street Fighter V beta on PlayStation 4, which technically started on July 23, never worked properly for most players. Many could never connect to the game’s servers. Now, Capcom is postponing the whole thing to a future date. Beta access was a preorder incentive — beta tests are as much a marketing tool now as they are ways to help developers test features and servers.
“Capcom offers its sincerest apologies to everyone who participated in this first beta test,” the publisher noted on its community site. “While the purpose of a beta is to work out these type of issues, it was very clear that the issues we faced were more severe than we were prepared for. After three days of testing, while we were making progress and collecting valuable data, we felt the majority of players were not having a good experience, and the best course of action would be to take the servers offline for extended maintenance. We will be postponing our first beta phase until we believe the experience is going to be a positive one for players.”
Capcom also noted Street Fighter V will have at least three more beta tests before it launches next year. It also said that it will include some sort of “worthwhile” incentive in the final game for those that participated in the first beta.
While these kinds of issues are embarrassing for publishers and frustrating for players, it’s better for everyone that they happen during a beta instead of when a game actually launches. This is especially true after notable titles last year, including Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Drive Club, had severe online issues after they launched.