Early access doesn’t really work for me. I’ll pick it up, play at half-baked game until I run out of content, then never touch it again. I’m sure Valheim and 7 Days to Die are really good now, but my initial pass wasn’t good enough for me to ever say “Ah, let’s spend more time on another playthrough!”
Maybe other people get something out of it.
Valheim hasn’t really changed much at all since it got super popular. It’s added some stuff, sure. But not a lot. And it is still horribly balanced and all over the place with what it wants to be.
Which sucks.
Early Access works when you have a clear and concise roadmap in where you want a game to go.
It becomes a grifting operation when you have a game that has no direction. 7 Days to Die comes to mind. That game spent so many years in early access, I don’t think it even left alpha stages. The developers basically went “yeaaaaaahhhh it’s been a while, we got their money, so we’re gonna release it”. I truly don’t think the developers really knew what to do with that game because every update they made, they’d take away something that was a good idea, next update, re-tool it, next update, fuck with something else.
While 7 days was tumultous at best, they’ve reached a pretty good point by now.
I do agree with you though, that having a proper direction and being clear about that direction to your fanbase makes for a much better early access period.
Like The Culling which completely ruined their own game because the devs thought they should move in one direction, but their fans and players thought the plan was completely different, having bought the game with a completely different direction in mind.
In the end though, having played quite a few good early access games, releasing a game in early access by Larian is fucking cheap. They have plenty money to make a full release without the early access injection. I see no reason why a succesfull studio like them would need it. Early access is fine for smaller devs. For some it could mean the difference between a hobby project and a full time job.
Early access can be great. DayZ spent years in early access and was at the time an incredibly fun janky experience that myself and a lot of other players have fond, chaotic memories of. It’s neat to see how far it came, and the game that exists today wouldn’t be here without that process. Those memories of exploding legs and invisible zombies are worth something.
If you absolutely must have a finished game when you spend money, don’t pay for early access. Nobody’s forcing it on you. But for those who like the look of a project and want to help get it off the ground while also getting to participate in its early stages, it can be rewarding.
And yeah, there are going to be games that flop in early access, but there are also plenty of games that flop on official release. I’d take some unique and interesting jank over something polished but boring and uninspired any day.
Funny that DayZ for me was the game that made me never buy an early access again
It honestly turned out great, it just took a while. The clients and servers both run pretty smoothly these days and the modding potential is crazy. Hands down the best game for voice RP just because of how expressive the body language is.
I was happy when they had a free weekend of No Rest For The Wicked. My wife and I are always looking for good co-op games. This one wasn’t for us. It was almost fun, but not quite. Definitely glad we didn’t shell out for the early access.
I’ll just wait till you finish the game
I have a bajillion games to play and plenty of life left to live
Early access is mostly for the desperate and addicted consumer gamer
It would be nice if players caught on and ditched every avenue of playing unfinished games. Redemption arcs are pathetic. Again players let these companies off the hook.
Hmm… this is a little too extreme, I think. Some niche indies need to start making money quick to keep going. Some are solo developers, and risk burn out working on a project for years without seeing any reward.
Accountability is necessary, but a total boycott of anything early access doesn’t come without negative consequences. Moderation is key, I think.
Also, this is a fringe case, and I keep bringing this up here but I have to because it’s often overlooked: some genres can’t afford to pick because they’re so niche. We got only 2 finished proper action games last year: Ninja Gaiden 4 and Lost Soul Aside, everything else is in early access. I can’t fault the consumer for picking up Genokids or Spirit X Strike because there isn’t many new options on the market.
Neither of these are redemption arcs where a company was let off the hook. They’re using early access the way it’s intended. The biggest thing stopping me from playing early access games is the deluge of finished games coming out all the time.
off the hook
What are they supposed to do in a free market? If the product is eventually good enough for a single customer, they will buy it.
