This is a Google Developers episode detailing how best to avoid releasing broken or defective games on Google Play. ItĀ speaks of three release stages: Alpha, Beta, and Canary/Staged Rollout. Alpha and Beta, almost all people are aware of. But Canary/Staged Rollout is a new term for me, but makes a lot of sense.
If you develop and/or release software, this is probably worth a watch.