Due to all the lockdowns, quarantines, and virtual learning days, people across the globe have been finding alternative ways to fill their time with something enjoyable. And while some may take up baking or reading, there has been a rise in online gaming, and thus the demand for new video games.
Early Access Games, or EAG’s for short, are a type of video game that is, of course, in early access. It’s not a preorder, but it’s not a fully released game, either. It’s a way for developers to earn money to help with their development, and gain feedback from the community. It seems like a perfect system where everyone benefits, developers and players alike, but sometimes that isn’t always the case…
Steam is one of the largest platforms for gaming. It’s the top go-to for both players and developers alike. It doesn’t cost much to publish your game on Steam, as well as making it easy to connect players with other like-minded players through forums, walkthroughs, art, and so much more.
With it being such a good place for publishing games, they have an EAG system in place for these developers.
The (Abbreviated) Rules for EAG's on Steam
- You must be transparent about the game being in Early Access across any and all platforms
- Don't make specific promises about future events (IE: a release date)
- Don't overcharge customers
- Always set proper expectations for your game
- Don't launch in Early Access without a playable game
- Don't launch in Early Access if development is finished
Low Bar, Easy Defense
There are plenty of ways to make a quick buck and ditch. One of them is through EAG’s.
On Steam, they are pretty lenient on their EAG’s, even if they do turn out to be scams. Some think that there should be regulations for EAG’s, such as to limit the amount of time they can be in early access for. However, a common argument in defense of EAG’s in the Steam forums is this:
Early Access does not guarantee anything more than being a part of the development process. Your expectations should be no more than what Steam tells you about Early Access on every Early Access game:
"Note: This Early Access game is not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development." -rawWwRrr
Personally, my household is very skeptical when it comes to EAG’s for this exact reason. It’s never guaranteed if the final product will be good, or if it ever even releases. When you buy a game, EAG or not, it’s always a gamble on whether or not you’re going to get the bang for your buck. EAG’s just have the additional element of "it’s not finished yet and might be finished in the future".
Even so, with the bar set so low for EAG’s, it’s fairly easy to have appealing marketing to draw players in, only to take the money and abandon the game entirely. The community won’t be able to get their money back, and that’s that. It’s an EAG and so nothing is ever guaranteed. This is how many scam games get away with it, because the status of being an EAG protects them.
I found a list of abandoned EAG’s, namely Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games. These games are all still up on Steam today (except maybe one), available to buy and play for yourself. However, I wouldn’t suggest that you do. Here’s just a short excerpt from the list:
Not Everything is a Scam
No good article is without the other end of the spectrum. That being said, there are plenty of EAG’s that have been released and turned into such amazing games, such as Subnautica and its sequel Subnautica: Below Zero, Factorio, Rust, Space Engineers, and Kerbal Space Program to name a few. I even play an EAG called Satisfactory, which has shown steady yet significant development over the last year or two. These games aren’t scams, worked on by praised developers and are all well-beloved by many gamers worldwide.
However, just because many make it to the status of “official release”, that doesn’t mean that there are some EAG’s that are true scams. With so many EAG’s out there, however, it’s easier and easier for EAG scams to pop up.
Before Buying...
If you are looking at buying an EAG at any point in time, there is only one suggestion I have to make sure you’re spending your money wisely:
Do some research!
On Steam, there are the reviews on the game’s page directly, which are an easy point of reference.
They also have an overall rating for the game based off of these reviews, which is also something to take into account. Of course, it’s always useful to look elsewhere on the internet as well to see what other people are saying. YouTube is another place to look.
Aside from the reviews, look up the developer’s background as well. Sometimes it’s less to do with the game itself and more to do with the people behind the game. It’s hard to judge if a studio or individual game developer doesn’t have a record just yet, so take it with a grain of salt.
Your best bet in almost every case is the community. Be however skeptical you want of them, as they are people too, and people often have very different opinions from one another, but usually they band together if a game turns out to be a scam to try and stop others from buying. Many EAG’s are done by small teams or individual people nowadays, and so they rely heavily on the community. If players are ever screwed over, they won’t forget it too easily.
And yet the only true way to avoid being scammed is to just wait for the game to be released. Waiting can be hard, but, in the case of EAG’s, it can pay off in the long run.