In a chat with Gears of War 3 executive producer Rod Fergusson, CVG recently found out that the team at Epic Games is expecting to squeeze out as much information as it possibly can from the upcoming multiplayer beta test for the studio’s blockbuster action game, and will then use this data to make the online experience of Gears of War 3 even better than it already looks to be.

How does Epic intend going about collecting this information that is so vital to improving the game? With over a million beta testers. In the interview Fergusson said:

“I don’t know if we necessarily have a target but our expectation is around the one million range - that’s what we’re thinking.”

“We’re not trying to set any records,” Fergusson continued, “we’re not trying to beat anybody for highest number of players on a beta. We’re just trying to get enough data to help us make a better game.”

This aim of one million beta testers for Gears of War 3 shouldn’t really be a problem – the first Crysis 2 demo on Xbox 360 was downloaded 1.7 million times, and while that demo was completely free to access, Gears of War 3 fans are surely going to be grabbing at any opportunity to get early hands-on time with the game.

The full version of Gears of War 3 multiplayer will sport dedicated servers, and this aspect of the game will also be put under rigorous strain during the beta period. Fergusson continued:

“We’re going to have dedicated servers around the world and it’s going to be broadly available. But as I said, for us it’s about getting enough players playing enough matches over enough time that we can actually learn from it and make changes.”

The multiplayer beta for Gears of War 3 begins on April 25th for those of you who pre-order the game through participating retailers, while owners of the Epic Edition of Bulletstorm will gain access to this beta on April 18th.

Claw and scrape through El33tonline’s comprehensive previous coverage of Gears of War 3 for buckets of screenshots, gameplay videos and much more information on this ultimate third-person action shooter.

Source: CVG