[GameSpot] - Starfield Does Not Have A Beta, Despite What Google Results Say

[343iBot]

Starfield does not have an open beta, despite what a sponsored link on Google might have you believe. People on Reddit (thanks, Jean) recently discovered the advertisement served to some at the top of Google's search results, but again, there is no Starfield beta.

The sponsored search result appears to have been paid for by a company called bizongrow, an advertising firm that says it helps companies get good search engine results on Google. The ad for the alleged Starfield beta claims people can "join the adventure" to play the open-world game with friends. The text uses the wrong style for Starfield--writing it as StarField. The link appears above the official page for Starfield on Bethesda's website in Google's search results because it is a paid-for, sponsored result.

Do not click this link

This is obviously meant to dupe Google users, and people should not click the link. In any event, it's led some to wonder why Google allowed this in the first place. After all, Google's own ad policies suggest this kind of thing should not be allowed.

Under the "prohibited practices" section, Google specifies that advertisers are not allowed to run ads that "attempt to trick or circumvent our ad review processes." The policy goes on to state that Google does not allow ads to hide the true destination of where users are sent to.

The bizongrow page directs people to a website supposedly containing an executable file, according to PC Gamer. And there is no telling what might be in that file--but we can say for sure it is not a Starfield beta.

PC Gamer also notes that the bizongrow website was only just registered in April, and the company may or may not even be real. The website is registered to an unspecified person with a mailing address is Reykjavik.

This story was brought to our attention by Jean Carrasquillo. Thank you, Jean. GameSpot has contacted Google in an attempt to get more information.

Starfield releases on September 6, 2023. It will launch on Xbox Series X|S and PC through Game Pass on day one. It will also be available on Xbox One, not natively but through streaming.

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