You can say many things about the gaming space, but one of the truest statements about it is that it’s always evolving. Look where it was 40 years ago during the great gaming crash and where we are now, and it’s lightyears apart. To that end, developers tend to find new ways to try and “build up their games” or ensure that they’re as “good as they can be.” One such trend is the “early access” method that platforms such as Steam use quite a bit. Moon Studios has been using this method for its upcoming title, No Rest For The Wicked, and it’s apparently going well for them.
The benefit of something like Steam Early Access is that you get to put a mostly completed version of the game up for players to interact with, and they can give developers feedback that goes beyond basic bug testing. On Twitter, Moon Studios CEO and director of their new game, Thomas Mahler, noted the following:
“I think as games become more and more complex and sophisticated, we’ll see some form of Early Access happening more and more often. Speaking from our own experience, there is just no way we could have ever shipped Wicked 1.0 without being able to see all the data we’re seeing now and getting all the feedback from users. And I mean actual users, not a Focus Testing Group.”
He went on to praise EA for allowing them to do their title on Early Access and noted that some gamers aren’t happy with so many games going the Early Access route. But in his mind, it makes perfect sense to get the best title possible without guessing what players will think about it:
“Ultimately people just want to play great games. It shouldn’t matter how the game was developed, just that it was and if players can’t play some great experience on your platform, you’re doing your audience a disservice.”
He also feels that other platforms should do the Early Access model for developers. Currently, Microsoft is the only one of the “big three” to allow Early Access, meaning Nintendo and Sony need to “catch up” in the CEO’s mind.
To be fair, he does have certain points that make sense here. Last year’s Game of the Year, Baldur’s Gate 3, spent years in Early Access to get perfected, and it worked beautifully. However, you could look at other GOTY contenders from Nintendo and Sony and see that they DIDN’T need Early Access to be perfect.
It all depends on how you see things.
