But if you sent that piece of advice back in time to Mojang circa 2009, we might not have Minecraft today, and by extension the whole Early Access program.Įarlier last year I read an interesting piece advocating a whole new label for games that plan to grow, long term, after release.
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While I dispute that conclusion (read my argument in the comments, if you're interested), I do agree it's a risky idea to launch a game without a plan for how to finish it. For example, in this article from last month, the developer of Ark: Survival Evolved advocates the 'open beta' style, even suggesting that developers who rely on Early Access revenue to finish their games are putting the whole program at risk. I'm not sure when the second paradigm started to gain traction, but it's becoming popular with developers as well as players - perhaps as a reaction to perceptions of poor quality in Early Access games. The former, Minecraft-style model is pretty much what Steam's Early Access FAQ describes, and I personally echo their sentiment "this is the way games should be made". Recently, I've noticed a different paradigm of Early Access beginning to take root: more of an 'open beta' model, where you mostly finish your game and then release it in a (typically shorter) tuning & polish phase, in which you don't make major gameplay additions or direction changes, but gather player data to balance and iron out wrinkles. However, acceptance of these things comes at a price: constant communication with players, responding to their concerns, acknowledging their input and frequently updating the game. A much lower level of polish and stability, compared to the expected standard of a finished game, is also allowed. With this model, it's acceptable, in the early stages, not to have a precise vision of the final product. I have always seen Early Access as formalisation of this approach. We put a huge amount of work into engaging with our community, and they repay us a hundredfold with their support and devotion. We Kickstarted the following summer, launched a beta preview on the Humble Store that November and released into Steam Early Access in February 2015. When I started Payload Studios in 2013, our vision was to develop TerraTech using a community-driven approach, following in the footsteps of games like Minecraft by releasing early and updating often, evolving by constant interaction with players over a long period. With Steam's Early Access program nearing the end of its third year, the Xbox One Preview program half way through its first, and other platforms and distributors gearing up to follow suit, the term "Early Access" is starting to mean different things to different people: perhaps it's time to review what we expect from games released before they are finished?
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