So in the end we are all beta-testers....?

[Moggy]

It is actually easier to answer your question in the form of a question;

What was the last PC game (you remember) which has never been patched?

[bugmenot]

There's a gap between a game which is released when it's done and, then, gets a few patches and a game like CoD which has obviously been released way too early and is more of a beta-version (alpha?) than a finished game...

[jimbop]

Even if so it is better than no release at all, which I think was a likely alternative. If it bothers you strongly then don't buy until patches are released. But if you do buy on release or preorder then you do it with the understanding that there will be bugs.

It's not the way it should be but it seems increasingly common. Civ5, Shogun2, just a couple of examples.

[kimosabi]

Yes, we are all beta testers. For any new product whether it be a computer game, car, tv, oven or w/e, the final test is always the initial release to a market and a few weeks after when customers start reporting or stuff start to happen. How the feedback from the "testers" is reported, depends entirely on how well your product is prepared for a release. A hasty release means more flaws that has to be corrected.