We could have released a beta on the time frame, but then we would have been like very other blockchain game who releases low quality expecting it to be okay. Not us, no way no how we'd allow our quality to suffer. Also, this will allow us to have more content, gear and for us to work with the community a lot more before beta launch.
The only way we can turn this market into something is by providing high-quality experiences showing people blockchain can and will work like the normal industry. But alpha will be coming soon, this just means the people who contributed over level 5 will just have longer to enjoy the alpha and help us out.