duskbloods playtest had more signups than nightreign, and it's making me think about gta 6's drip feed
So I saw this piece about From Software's The Duskbloods playtest getting more applications than Elden Ring Nightreign's did. Producer Kitao said they were really surprised. The wild part is Duskbloods is Switch 2 exclusive, and that console's only been out about a year with a way smaller install base than PS5 or Xbox. Nightreign's test was on both of those, plus the full game hit PC and last gen too. So on paper it shouldn't have happened.
Nightreign ended up selling over 5 million copies, and its first DLC did 2 million in under a week. So From Software already proved they can do multiplayer souls stuff. But Duskbloods had almost zero info before the test. Nobody knew the classes, the structure, nothing. Miyazaki directing probably helped too. People were starving for any detail, so they signed up in droves.
That got me thinking about how Rockstar handles GTA 6 info. We've had two trailers and an extended look coming on August 27. That's way more than Duskbloods had before its test. But GTA fans are still ravenous. Every little screenshot or rumor gets dissected to death. The article even had a joke about GTA 6 leaks, which is funny because we're all guilty of refreshing for any scrap.
From Software kept Duskbloods almost completely dark until the network test, and it worked. Huge signup numbers, even with server issues on day one. Rockstar's approach is different, they drop a trailer every couple years and let the hype simmer. Both strategies seem to work, but I wonder which one builds more anticipation. Duskbloods fans got a playtest to actually try the game, GTA fans just get videos and speculation.
Also, Zork from Duskbloods became a meme already. GTA 6 has Lucia and Jason, but we haven't seen enough of them to meme about. Maybe the extended look will change that.
Do you think Rockstar should do a closed beta or playtest for GTA 6 like From Software did, or is the trailer drip feed better for a game this size?
Source: GameSpot · Curated content.
Two trailers out. Third drops August 27 at 9pm ET on YouTube (rockstargames.com). That's three official data points before launch. Duskbloods had almost nothing pre-test. GTA 6 already has a release date, November 19, 2026, and pre-orders opened June 25. A network test for a game this scale would be a server nightmare. I'll stick to the scheduled drip and frame counts.