We still do that now. Not only do we sometimes send out placebos, some testers (who agree to it) don’t even know what title they’re testing. The thing is, the placebo aspect has become useless – especially with ZPU Preview and ZPU titles… There’s an immediate somatic and/or mental sensation, where you know you’ve listened to a title. Hard to describe, but with ZPU in particular, there’s a “calmness” that suddenly comes upon you after listening. Anyone who has tried one knows what I’m referring to.
Because of that, when we send placebos, I get an immediate message back: “Saint, quit playing. I know this is a placebo, I wanna test the title.” At this point, it never fails to happen.
That being said, @Judoka – I don’t think your question was asked in good faith. Perhaps I am incorrect, if so, my apologies. But be cognizant of how these things are approached.