Hades 2’s Early Access Succeeds Where Many Other Games Fail

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If you’re a fan of roguelike games, you might have come across the Hades series by Supergiant Games. This captivating game boasts exceptional voice acting and an intriguing art style that stands out among indie games lately. The long-awaited sequel to Hades, named Hades 2, follows suit. Released in Early Access in May 2024, Hades 2 is still in development with no official release date set yet at this moment.

The Early Access phase is designed to allow gamers early access to games and offer developers useful feedback during game development. However, some studios find their projects stuck in this stage, eventually abandoning them before completion. Contrastingly, Supergiant Games, having gone through this process only once, has never encountered such a predicament. The management of the Early Access phases for the ‘Hades’ franchise offers valuable insights, primarily centered on communication.

Early Access Isn’t For Beta Testing

One common weakness found in numerous games during the Early Access phase is that they’re not fully functional yet. The term ‘Early Access’ suggests that the game is nearly finished, and players who decide to join this stage are aware that minor glitches might need fixing or adjustments may be necessary. However, certain developers view Early Access as a beta testing period and release games with major bugs and incomplete primary gameplay mechanics. Players don’t expect Early Access titles to be flawless, but they do anticipate a reasonable level of playability which some studios unfortunately do not provide.

It’s harmful for both gamers and developers when a game is launched as Early Access (EA), because studios miss out on the excitement surrounding the initial release, and players may feel they’ve wasted their money on a game that doesn’t meet developer expectations. The core problem in most of these situations lies in communication. If a studio uses EA for testing purposes, it should be transparent with its audience so they can manage their anticipation. Nothing is more frustrating than playing an Early Access game and discovering it’s filled with bugs. Instead, it would be ideal if studios made it clear that the product being released isn’t a polished final version but an evolving work-in-progress.

In the case of No Man’s Sky, the game experienced a similar predicament when it initially launched in Early Access. The state of the game at its release was far from satisfactory, leading to strong criticism from players who were highly disappointed. One key issue was that the announced full release date was stealthily changed into an Early Access release, and even then, the game was hardly prepared for Early Access. The team behind No Man’s Sky has since made significant improvements and updates to the game, but many of the initial negative reactions might have been mitigated through better communication with players and perhaps delaying the Early Access launch until the game was fully ready. Compared to this, Supergiant Games handled the Early Access release of Hades effortlessly, gaining a great deal of trust from their fanbase in the process.

The Original Hades Paved The Way

Initially released on Early Access following its debut at The Game Awards in 2018, Hades remained in this phase for a staggering two more years. This duration can be intimidating for numerous independent studios as it’s uncertain whether gamers will stick around that long to play an incomplete game. However, Supergiant Games took the risk and it proved to be fruitful. As per Steamcharts data, upon its 2020 launch, Hades attracted nearly forty thousand simultaneous players, and even five years post-release, it still maintains a dedicated player base of around seven to eight thousand at its peak.

The smoothness of the Early Access (EA) for Hades 2 is largely due to the positive outcome of Electronic Arts’ (EA) cycle from the original game, Hades. Supergiant Games have proven themselves adept at managing update timelines and patching issues, but more importantly, they’ve earned player trust. Their handling of Hades demonstrates that they are a studio attentive to player feedback, which encourages players to invest $30 in an unfinished game. This trust, built upon the success of Hades, was instrumental in securing Early Access purchases for Hades 2. However, it’s the consistent updates and open communication that has kept players engaged.

Hades 2 Crushes Early Access With Frequent Updates

Ever since Hades 2 launched in May 2024, it has undergone eight updates so far, including two significant overhauls and six adjustments focusing on balance. This averages out to roughly one update per month, each introducing fresh content and gameplay elements. Thanks to these consistent updates, Hades 2 feels more like a live-service game than just an early access title. Moreover, the development team at Supergiant swiftly handles any critical bugs that might arise between major updates through quick fixes known as hotfixes.

A regular update and patching schedule gives players a feeling of security since playing games in Electronic Arts (EA) or beta testing involves risk, as often players end up paying for the game even when it’s not fully complete. If the game doesn’t meet expectations and there’s no word from the developers about improvement plans, the money spent can feel wasted. Even disappointing EA games like “No Man’s Sky” can be improved with time and effort from the development team, but it’s crucial to have a strategy in place to support the game throughout its Early Access phase to prevent it from failing before it even launches.

Not every game benefits from an Early Access release, as some developers mistakenly believe. While it can be useful for pre-release testing, it isn’t always the ideal choice and may even harm a game’s reputation more than help. The studios that achieve success with Early Access are those who maintain open and transparent communication with their players and keep their promises throughout the development process. Hades 2 and Supergiant Games serve as an excellent example of this approach, and other developers would do well to follow in their footsteps when planning for Early Access.

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2025-07-08 23:40