There are unconfirmed reports across the Web that the StarCraft II beta test will start Tuesday. Some fan sites have started countdown timers that seem to expire March 31 at 6 p.m. PDT or April 1 at 12:00 a.m. EST, suggesting that they know or think something is up.
In addition to this, starcraftwire.net is reporting that some of their members have received emails from Blizzard telling them they have been selected for the StarCraft II beta that is set to begin Tuesday, March 31 at 6 p.m. PDT.
Countdown timers are popping up all over fan sites, this one is from sclegacy.com. The first timer aludes to the re-launch of their Web site, while the second aludes to a possible beta on Tuesday.
Now, as I said before, these are unconfirmed reports and no one from Blizzard has confirmed or denied their authenticity. I put in an email to Karune as well as to Leord at starcraftwire.net to inquire further about this and will let you know what I find out. It's very important to note that at 6 p.m. on March 31 it is April 1 according to Eastern Standard Time and that makes it April Fools day. This could be some big elaborate hoax by Blizzard or by some other third party and right now that's a good bet.
Here's why:
- Not everyone is getting these emails.
- March 31 is the 11th anniversary of StarCraft and although it would be nice to honor it by having the beta go live on the same day, Blizzard's motto of "it's ready when it's ready" doesn't quite lend itself to this kind of nostalgia.
- Kevin Yu and Dustin Browder both said that Battle Report 2 will be out before the beta.
- Blizzard would have made a huge announcement if this was the case. If Blizzard does not announce a beta by the end of tomorrow and release the second Battle Report then I'd say it's safe to claim this rumor as fake.
Below is the full email that starcraftwire.net members received:
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Welcome to the beta test of Starcraft II!
We're excited to have reached the beta-testing stage for Starcraft II and our upgraded Battle.net service, and we'd be grateful to have you join us during the next few months of fine tuning.
Getting started:
Along with the beta of Starcraft II, we are rolling out our new Battle.net delivery system which will serve as the primary channel for downloading the game and its updates. In order to participate, you will need to use the Battle.net account associated with this email address.
In an effort to test our distribution system in a high load environment, we are giving a few days lead so that a large number of beta testers have the opportunity to read this email first. Our planned activation is Tuesday, March 31st at 6 PM PDT.
To see what time it is in your time zone, please check here:
http://www.timeanddate.com/
After that time, you will be able to login to your Battle.net account at http://us.battle.net and download the "Battle.net Client (Beta)" which adds a host of new features to Battle.net including:
A global friends list between all Blizzard games
The ability to quickly join or observe your friends' games
Detailed statistics and rankings for each game
Track the global achievements of you and your friends
And much, much more!
In addition, it will serve as the launch pad for Starcraft II and will automatically begin downloading your authenticated copy once you run it for the first time. Once the game is installed, you will be able to access the Battle.net Client from within the game or as a standalone desktop application.
Sending us feedback:
In the bottom left corner of the Battle.net Client (CTRL-SHIFT-B from within Starcraft II) there is a button called 'Feedback' which will bring up a place for you to report any bugs or suggestions. We also welcome feedback on the official Starcraft II forums at http://forums.battle.net/board.html?forumId=12009&sid=3000
Please retain this email for your records. If you experience any technical issues getting started or while playing, please email support at SC2Support@blizzard.com .
We look forward to seeing you online soon!
