Bethesda has opened up applications for volunteer play testers in the Dallas/Fort Worth offices. They did not mention any games, but could this be for Fallout 4?
Here is the text from the job description, culled courtesy Google’s cache:
Play Tester ApplicationBethesda Softworks is looking for volunteers to come to our studios to play test our upcoming and released games. Most play tests last an hour or two and you must provide your own transportation to the play test. We are currently looking for testers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but are accepting applications from all over the US.Here are a few things you should know about play testing before you apply:-You must be 18 to apply and participate in a play test, no exceptions.-You cannot participate in a play test if you work for a video game developer, or publisher, or if you are journalist that reviews video games.-You will be required to a sign a non-disclosure agreement and show a valid government issued photo ID evidencing that you are at least 18 years old on the date of the play test.-You must provide a valid email address when signing up. The email address you give on your application will be used to contact you about play testing opportunities.-Participation in a play test is strictly on a voluntary basis and is not a paid position, nor does it qualify as employment. You may, however, receive games or swag in connection with your participation in the play test.-We are looking for players of all skill levels and gaming backgrounds. It is important for us to know how the game feels for everyone, so even if you are not very good at video games you can still apply.-We are only accepting play tester applications in the US. We are not accepting international applications at this time.
Looking for gamers of different skill levels means they are planning an accessible game, possibly with different difficulty settings to accommodate different players.
This is strictly volunteer work, not even a temp job or internship, so Bethesda may have found the need to fill a need they could not fulfil on their own.
On the other hand, they are not strictly looking for community feedback. That would entail reaching out to the Fallout communities in the places they gather, such as Fallout fan forums. They may have procured such assistance separately, so this does not rule out use of community feedback completely. I’m just saying, they had particular needs opening up this playtester job.
A fan leaked part of an application. It does not look like this guy will be getting the job, but just look at this part of the quiz.
It certainly looks like plans for a Fallout 4 to me. We will keep you up to date when more information on this project, and Fallout 4, is unveiled. In the meantime, if you want to check if you can still get into the playtest, you can click the link here.
Image is from Fallout 3.
