How Gears of War: Ultimate Edition’s beta helped fix the game

Last month, The Coalition invited Xbox One owners to participate in an opten beta for Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. Over a million matches were logged over the course of the week, with one player even finishing over 500 games. But the beta was about more than just giving Xbox One owners a chance to go hands-on with Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. For The Coalition, it gave them a chance to see their game played in a live environment with real user feedback. And taking that feedback, they've implemented the following fixes and improvements:

• Multiple fixes and tuning for the Gnasher Shotgun
• Multiple fixes for Frag Grenades, Boomshot, and Torque Bow
• Tuning for footstep audio and other sounds around a player
• King of the Hill improvements, including ability for The Coalition to adjust more settings for competitive play
• Removed active down from Active Reloaded Longshot sniper rifle and added/tuned active bonus for sniper bloom/aim.
• Bug fixes and tuning for skill-based matchmaking
• Tuned red/blue colours for team shaders (Locust/COG)
• Improved look of blood and gore in gameplay
• Improved game performance to reduce screen tearing
• Bug fixes and tuning for Controller Sensitivity Settings
• Various bug fixes on maps, weapons, matchmaking, audio, and controls.

The Coalition says these are just a summary of the fixes and not the exhaustive list. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition launches August 25, so I'm sure more fine tuning is in store for the game.

For those who didn't get a chance to participate in the beta, check out our initial impressions here.

[Xbox Wire]