The more time passes, the more we see video games that come out with the mention “Early access”. This approach allows developers to offer their work to players before it is finished, and it is a formula that can prove very advantageous.
Indeed, early access is a kind of exchange of good practices between players and studios. For the former, it is a way to discover a promising game before its official release, for a price often much lower than that of the finished product. For the latter, it can help fuel the hype before version 1.0, and above all to collect precious funds for the rest of the development. This is particularly true for independents, who would often have been unable to bring their games to maturity without the patronage of players.
This model has played a central role in the advent of certain exceptional games. We can cite the legendary Minecraft, gems like Rimworld, Darkest Dungeon or Kerbal Space Program, and even big productions like the formidable Baldur’s Gate 3.
But these great successes also hide other cases that are much less joyful. Because not everything is rosy in the kingdom of early access, far from it. Behind these leaders with impeccable track records are also blatant failures that never managed to get past the half-baked beta stage, for various reasons, or even outright scams. So here’s a little pocket guide to help you identify promising titles and avoid bitter disappointments.
1 – The studio’s history
The first thing to check before spending your hard-earned money on an early access title is the developers’ track record. In this day and age, where anyone can learn to produce their own games quite easily, more and more enthusiastic apprentice developers are trying to raise funds to make the games of their dreams. But these newbies are not always aware of the scale of the task that awaits them. And very often, these great projects end up with drafts abandoned by disillusioned developers.
This may seem obvious, but a studio that has already produced several convincing titles will always be much more trustworthy than a competitor who is just starting out. This is why so many players paid for the early access of Baldur’s Gate 3. The first versions were far from convincing, of course, but Larian already had some great games to its credit. We can notably mention the excellent Divinity 2: Original Sin. The public therefore had no problem supporting the Belgian developers’ next title, and it was right to do so since it recently won the title of Game of the Year 2023.
2 – A clear, stable and reasonable roadmap
Early access games tend to promise lots of features that are as exciting as each other to encourage players to invest. But this can also betray the fact that the developers have bitten off more than they can chew.
It is therefore essential to pay attention to the roadmap, and especially to its coherence. If developers are spreading themselves thin, promising breathtaking graphics and a mountain of revolutionary gameplay elements that are very different from each other, there is probably something fishy going on, especially if it is a small studio of a few people.
So be sure to favor more sober and reasonable roadmaps where the developers clearly show that they will focus on the foundations of their concept to lay a healthy foundation. Also dwell on the studio's previous work. If it has already proven its mastery of a particular genre or certain mechanics, it will be able to recycle certain elements of the code to move forward much more quickly.
Also pay attention to the announced deadlines. If a studio promises to complete a very complex procedural generation system or a very complex universe in the space of a few months, it is generally a game that should be avoided at all costs for at least a few years.
Also take a look at the stability of this roadmap. If it is constantly evolving or the studio radically changes its concept, it is usually a clear sign that it is outdated… or that it did not even know where it was going from the start, which does not bode well for the rest of the project. Conversely, if it respects almost all of its deadlines for several months, it is generally a very encouraging sign.
3 – Regular and transparent communication
However, even the most convincing roadmap will never be enough on its own. Players also expect creators to keep them informed of the progress of the project. This communication can take several forms: blog posts, patch notes on Steam, posts on social networks… it does not matter the medium; The important thing is that developers are accountable to their patrons.
In most cases, developers of a future early access gem present their progress regularly, often through videos or images that allow the public to measure the distance traveled.
But the development of a game is rarely a long, quiet river. Even seasoned, very competent and perfectly honest professionals can find themselves faced with major difficulties. This is not prohibitive, quite the contrary; it is even the norm.
It is therefore advisable to read the developers' posts, often collected in what is called a DevBlog. If it does not contain any mention of any difficulty, this can sometimes be a sign of a certain bad faith. Conversely, if the developers are transparent and openly address the less attractive points, it is almost always a mark of respect towards the players that demonstrates healthy communication between the two camps. And that’s always good news for the future of an early access title.
4 – An active and convinced community
There are as many profiles as there are players, and everyone has their own expectations when they pay for a video game. It is therefore rare that everyone agrees on the potential of a game. Despite everything, it is often very interesting to rely on the feedback from other Internet users, especially those who have been with the project from the beginning. If they feel respected and appreciate the work of the developers, it is almost always very good news.
Conversely, if they feel that the initial promises were misleading, they generally do not hesitate to say what they really think. So don’t hesitate to consult the feedback from the first testers in the Steam comments or on platforms like Reddit.
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