Head of Apocalypse Studios accused AAA publishers of abusing early access: it complicates life for indie developers
Translated with AI from the Russian original.
As examples, Denis Dyack mentioned Path of Exile and Subnautica 2.
Silicon Knights founder and current CEO of Apocalypse Studios Denis Dyack has criticized the practice of major game publishers using early access. He stated that companies with huge budgets, large staffs, and significant resources use early access not so much for collaborative development with players, but rather as an additional marketing tool.
As examples, Dyack mentioned Subnautica 2 and Path of Exile, which, in his opinion, have noticeably influenced the audience’s perception of early access.
According to Dyack, major publishers release well-polished products into early access that differ very little in quality from full releases. This fosters audience expectations of virtually flawless games even before their official launch.
AAA publishers abuse early access, skewing player expectations in a way that puts small independent developers at a severe disadvantage.
He believes that such a practice contradicts the original premise of early access. This format was conceived as an opportunity for co-development, where user feedback helps the team tweak mechanics, experiment with solutions, and gradually improve the game. However, when players become accustomed to the high level of polish seen in projects from major studios, they begin to place the same demands on smaller teams.
Never miss our newsAdd this site to your preferred sources to see us more oftenAdd on Google
