Many prominent Twitch streamers from the PvP and PvE communities have been provided with beta keys to give away in anticipation of this Thursday's "Play with the Blues" event, where we'll be testing the Premade Groups tool for dungeons & 3v3 Arenas on level-100 beta realms. If you've already opted in to test Warlords of Draenor, these giveaways provide you with additional opportunities to score beta access and join us!
These folks will also be streaming and giving away keys during the event this Thursday, August 21 from 3-5 p.m. PDT. Tune into the following Twitch streams and visit their Twitter feeds to learn more about their giveaways and see the beta test in action:
Bajheera
Chinglish
Elvine
FatbossTV
GhostZoneGaming
Hotted
Killars
Rzn
Slootbag
Snutz
SpartySmallwood
Swifty
SylessNecole
Towelliee
Treckie
Vanguards
Venruki
Good luck to everyone seeking keys! |
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Hundreds of thousands of people have been invited via the opt-in system thus far. These giveaways are handled independently of that system and the amount of keys being given away is a minuscule fraction compared to the invites we've sent. |
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Of course you hear more about giveaways. The folks giving away beta keys have a vested interest in drawing as much attention to their promotions as possible -- beta keys are specifically generated for promotional purposes. The same is not at all true for people invited via the opt-in system. Even still, the vast majority of people that have been given access to the beta test were invited via our opt-in system. |
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We're definitely not inviting 8 million people to a beta test. It's unnecessary and counterproductive. The fact of the matter is that more people want to test the beta than we're going to invite. That means some degree of disappointment is unavoidable. The good news is that, after our closed beta test process, the actual product will be available to the general public. |
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You're exactly NOT forced to watch someone else play* a game for a chance to be able to play it yourself. That's what the opt-in system is for. But it's still only a chance. We can't invite everyone who opted in, whether you consider yourself a veteran or not. Millions of people have opted in, many of whom have been around a long time. And we love you all for it. *This should really say "test," as you're especially not forced to watch a stream for a chance to play the actual expansion when it's released. |
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That's not going to happen. I keep tabs on the giveaways I setup to ensure keys are handed out fairly. If winners choose to try and sell their keys on eBay, please report those sales. If keys aren't handed out fairly I won't setup giveaways with that site/person in the future.
As I've mentioned earlier in this thread, I think you're confusing invites via the opt-in system versus beta keys being given out. The opt-in system is our primary method of inviting people to test the upcoming expansion. Beta keys are a promotional tool to increase exposure via fansites, streams, media outlets, podcasts, YouTube channels, etc. and provide the community with additional chances of getting into the beta if interested. Aside from that, we've hosted our own beta key giveaways as well. Our Customer Support team has given away many beta keys via BlizzardCS on Facebook and Twitter. Nethaera has also been giving keys away to active members of the forum community here. |
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Oh |
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Well, no, it wouldn't be easier, but that's not exactly the point either. Many of these streamers are seasoned Arena veterans and a few of them are progression raiders. We want them, their friends, and their audiences to join us for the event on Thursday. So we gave them some beta keys to give out while they participate! Everybody wins! So few downsides! Virtually no reason to complain! Except for almost every post in this thread! |
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Thanks, Sargy! :) |
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And you lose... nothing. If you've opted in this giveaway doesn't hinder your chances of getting an invite at all. Extra opportunities for those that care. Irrelevant to those that don't. |
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We don't need to get into the silent majority concept. The people not disagreeing with our methods would probably rather be in Twitch chat right now than sitting here arguing about how these giveaways aren't a slight against you or anyone else. |
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You're ignoring so much of what so many of these folks do to foster the community. Guys like Swifty and Bajheera, for example, are positive forces in the community. I've stood with them at conventions and other events. I've watched young kids anxiously walk up to talk to their videogame role models and get autographs. And the way these guys respond is genuine and fantastic. They care about people. They care about this community. They help build and strengthen it. So long as they're doing that I'm down to reasonably support them. |
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We have done, and will continue to do, an assortment of beta key giveaways with various streamers, fansites, media outlets, podcasts, etc. These streamers were targeted this week specifically in relation to Thursday's event to stress test the Premade Groups functionality in dungeons and 3v3 arenas. The entire purpose of this thread is to inform you of that. |