Elite Dangerous: Arena

     Frontier Developments, the company behind the popular Elite franchise and its current incarnation Elite: Dangerous, has recently released what it is calling Elite Dangerous: Arena. Contrary to what some might think, this is not a new DLC or a brand new game, it is simply the CQC mode already present in Elite: Dangerous being sold as a standalone to provide new players with a cheap way to get in to the full game. Some may argue it's a demo, others may argue "WHAT THE FUCK FRONTIER WHY THE HELL ARE YOU MAKING ME PAY FOR CQC AGAIN YOU RIP OFF SCAM ARTIST SHADY  EA WANNABEE GREEDY BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH *insert more random Steam Forum rage from people who don't do their research in to what a game actually is before they decide they hate it...here*". Regardless of what you might call it, Arena is an interest method of producing more interest in the full game and giving players somewhat of a gateway drug in to Elite: Dangerous as a whole.
     Basically, Arena is a piece of Elite: Dangerous being sold by itself so players can try it out without having to invest money in the full game. This piece is already owned by players who own the full game, as it is literally just the already-present CQC mode, and so Arena does not affect anybody who already owns the full game. Players who purchase Arena get the option to upgrade to the full game for the difference in cost between Arena and the full game, meaning that they don't spend any more or any less money than they would if they had just purchased the full game to begin with. This is also a means to get more players in to the CQC mode, which has had long loading times and a lack of any real matchmaking due to lack of interest in the mode. Frontier are probably hoping that this move will spark an influx of players are going to try it out, and therefore drastically reduce wait times to get in a game, and then bring in more players who own the full game, effectively shocking life in to the half-dead husk that CQC has always been. It might work, it might not. Regardless there is now a cheap alternative to the full game that players on the fence can buy just to try it out, and for a game like Elite, I think the ability to try it out is really crucial. Elite has a specific, but large, niche appeal and you either love the game or you hate it. There isn't a whole lot of in between.

You can purchase Elite Dangerous: Arena for $7.49 here:
Frontier Store: https://www.frontierstore.net/usd/games/elite-dangerous-arena.html
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/443080/

The full Elite: Dangerous Deluxe Edition, which includes both Season 1 and Horizons (Season 2), and in-game paint jobs and a bobblehead, as well as everything Arena offers, for $59.99 here:
Frontier Sore: https://www.frontierstore.net/usd/games/elite-dangerous-cat/elite-dangerous-deluxe-edition.html
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/sub/93682/