The use of early access has grown over the past 10 years, but so have player expectations for such releases. Today, companies cannot afford to release raw and buggy versions, and Motion Twin developers have noticed this.
"Expectations are higher now than they were five or six years ago, in terms of the amount of content and polish in all aspects," said Windblown designer Yannick Berthier in an interview. "Windblown was already quite advanced by the time it launched in early access, and it's important to start with a base that's ready for release."
"Players want a real game," added designer Thomas Wasser. "Even if it's not finished, the content should feel complete. A small amount at the start should be perfect. If not, it's just a paid demo, and people won't be happy. Expectations are very high now, and examples like Hades show that quality matters from the very beginning."
Most players understand that they are buying a game in early access that is not completely ready, but, as Berthier notes, they are still spending money.
"There will be complaints about lack of content or incompleteness, but that's fair - they are buying a game."
