Lots of great indie games stay on Early Access for a while and end up becoming amazing games.
But yeah, for an IP this big, early access is a red flag.
Edit: I’m realizing now that you probably meant it as in “paying more to play the game a couple days early,” and not the Steam definition of “releasing an incomplete game while you continually update it.”
I think it’s the latter, I don’t see how having an option to get access sooner would encourage anyone to avoid a game.
I prefer to avoid the latter definition of early access because I don’t like playing unfinished games. I’m guessing that’s what OP meant.
Except Suicide Squad wasn’t released in that way. Maybe you’re not aware of the recent trend by AAA studios to make playing a game a week or so early one of the pre-order bonuses. People are just confusing things by using the already established “early access” label.
I interpreted it as: people had a chance to play it before release, and realized it sucked, and then told other people online that it sucks, who then changed their minds about buying it.
There is a difference between: an indie game being sold as Early Access on Steam, a situation where the buyer is completely aware of the state of the game, and might even be interested in participating in how that game develops going forwards; and a shitty incomplete AAA game that’s being sold as a complete experience for $60-70. I don’t think I should have to explain why they’re different.
I’m aware of the difference, and it’s not a new thing. I remember preordering physical console games for the OG Xbox and getting it a couple days early. The same exists for Magic: the Gathering sets.
That style is usually called “pre-release,” which differs from “early access,” which is Steam’s term for communicating that something is unfinished yet available for purchase. Baldur’s Gate 3 followed the “early access” model where the first act was available three years before full release. Starfield followed the “pre-release” model (though called “early access”) where the full game was available about 4 days early if you paid a bit extra, but the game didn’t differ from what was available on the regular release date (except whatever bug fixes were made in those 4 days).
I understand not wanting to pay extra for a “pre-release,” but I don’t understand writing a game off entirely just because it offers that option. However, I do understand writing a game off if it’s in “early access” because many games never actually release and the game is just a buggy mess. If there’s an official release date, I’ll usually wait a week or so to get reviews from regular people. If it’s in “early access,” I’m not going to expect an official release anytime soon and will usually just wishlist and check back later (unless the game like really good, reviews are good, and I’m okay with the game changing significantly; e.g. Palworld).
So that’s why I think they meant Steam’s “early access” (no set release date) since the AAA “pre-release” is just a money grab that you can avoid by waiting a week and says nothing about the quality of the game (it’ll be just as buggy on the official launch date).
I meant the latter. Satisfactory is still in Early Access 3+ years later. I doubt it’s even the most egregious.
Good or not, you’re saying it’s unfinished when you do that.
I think others were referring to the fact that Suicide Squad was playable a few days early by people who preordered. It definitely wasn’t in “Early Access” in the way Satisfactory is. They’re two different concepts, and people are just confusing things by calling the relatively new phenomenon of letting people play a AAA game early by a term that already exists in the gaming space.
Regardless, indie devs that choose to release a game as “Early Access” (as in the Steam model) have made a decision to offer the admittedly incomplete game to players for a reduced price, and then including those gamers’ opinions into the development of the game. If you buy an early access game and you’re upset that it’s not finished, that’s 100% on you. When you get an early access game, you’ve accepted that the game isn’t complete. That’s part of it. That’s what you paid for.