A dev accuses big publishers of abusing Early Access for their games
, by Thibaut
Early access has become a common practice in the video game industry. It allows developers to release an unfinished title and refine it based on feedback from the community. This is a crucial strategy for small studios, which can thereby generate revenue more quickly.
However, concerns are beginning to be raised about the sometimes abusive use of this method. This is the criticism leveled by Denis Dyack of Apocalypse Studios. He launched Deadhaus Sonata last May, which will undergo a "10-year release cycle during which we’re counting on the community". In his interview with GamesIndustry.biz, he criticized the “big publishers with colossal amounts of money, manpower, and resources” who nevertheless decide to opt for early access.
Dyack specifically singled out Krafton with Subnautica 2 and Tencent with Path of Exile 2, which are releasing products that are already polished in Early Access. According to him, players now expect the same quality from other indie titles with far fewer resources.
"They can put up a polished product and rake in cash; it's a marketing beat for them. So, that leaves players often expecting a near-perfect game that, in our opinion, defeats the purpose of Early Access, which is a collaborative development process based on player feedback.
AAA publishers are abusing Early Access, skewing player expectations in such a way that it heavily disadvantages smaller independent developers."
Ethan McKinnon, creative director of Deadhaus Sonata, also shared his perspective.
"Players naturally compare everything in the same marketplace, so smaller teams are being held to a much higher standard than they were in the past. Developers need to treat Early Access like a real launch, because players do."
Finally, both developers still praised Early Access, which has allowed games like Hades to see the light of day.
Source: gamesindustry.biz