Do you test your games before launch or do you prefer to wait until games are officially released? Today, we want to know from you if you have ever bought games in Early Access or if you are not quite sure about the system.
The release of video games is changing. More and more studios are opting for a smooth transition from Early Access to an official release. The benefits for the studio: they generate revenue that can be used to continue working on the games and ideally also receive feedback from the target audience.
More and more studios are embracing Early Access
What is Early Access? Early Access refers to a new form of funding and releasing games. In this process, unfinished games, mostly in an alpha or beta stage, are sold before the official release. Developers secure cash flow this way and can further adapt the games with feedback from buyers.
Especially on the gaming platform Steam, this type of release has already established itself, but Early Access has also arrived on consoles:
- The dino game ARK was a pioneer here. Even Sony made an exception.
- The Xbox One now has a “Preview” program that games like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds use.
With Conan Exiles, a title was released on May 8 that spent a long time in Early Access on both PC via Steam and Xbox One.
Also this week, Electronic Arts stated that they are considering Early Access as well. Thus, the open-world game Anthem could be released in a still unfinished state before the planned launch in March 2019 and be tested by players.
We want to know from you: Do you use Early Access or are you not able to relate to this type of release? Do you think it is good that games can be tested before launch or do you prefer “finished” games? We look forward to your comments!
