Wolfenstein The New Order Release Date Doom Beta

Despite developers and publishers across the board pledging continued support for last-generation consoles, there are still some clear downsides to arriving slightly later to the next-gen party. While issues such as exclusive next-gen-only games are apparent (or even prolonged last-gen releases in Titanfall’s case) other cases where being a PS3 and/or Xbox 360 only player puts you at a disadvantage haven’t been in the limelight - in fact, it's been quite the opposite when it comes to some basic console features (media support and external storage, anyone?). But with the DOOM (4?) beta now announced to be avoiding PS3 and Xbox 360, the cons are becoming clear.

An update to the DOOM FAQ (frequently asked questions) page on the Wolfenstein: The New Order website signaled a rather sneaky move by developer Bethesda to get the news out, but last-gen fans of the longstanding shooter series will be disappointed to know that there will be no DOOM beta on PS3 or Xbox 360 whatsoever. Indeed, the codes for the DOOM beta that are set to be provided in pre-orders of the Nazi blaster will be for PS4 or Xbox One if you pre-order the game on a PlayStation or Xbox platform, respectively, so this will at least serve as a small consolation prize for those who haven’t yet bought themselves a next-gen console but plan to ahead of Wolfenstein’s May release date.

The need to pre-order Wolfenstein to gain access to the DOOM beta was further prioritized by the FAQ as it states that the only way to guarantee access to the beta is by pre-ordering a copy of The New Order and following through with the transaction. However, while this is being stated as a ‘guarantee’, users who choose to pre-order Wolfenstein via digital retailers may find themselves without a code as deals have yet to be worked out with Valve, Sony and Microsoft for Steam, PSN and XBL (respectively) just yet.

Bethesda also added this statement to the Wolfenstein FAQ to explain just where customers who choose to go the digital pre-order route stand:

“Other digital retailers’ processes and/or participation may vary. We suggest contacting your preferred retailer directly for additional information.”

It’s not exactly practical for Wolfenstein and DOOM fans to get in touch with the retailer (read: it's ridiculous and unnecessarily unclear), be it Valve, Sony or Microsoft, and it seems that neither or these companies or any other digital retailer involved in the DOOM beta key scheme have released a statement to announce their beta key plans but we’ll keep you updated on the story once we know more.

Is this confirmation that Doom 4 is being built for next-gen only (current gen) platforms?

Wolfenstein: The New Order releases May 20th in North America and May 23rd in Europe for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC.

Source: Wolfenstein FAQ