Steam’s Newest Feature is Huge for Early Access Games

Have you ever invested time, money, and effort into an early access game on Steam and wondered exactly when it’ll leave early access and graduate to a full release? You’re not alone, and Valve has recognized that. In a recent update, the team behind Steam revealed that a new feature will give early access games greater transparency into their schedules.

When developers list early access products on Steam, they now have a visible field to indicate when the game will leave early access, whether that’s the year or the exact day.

Early Access Games Are Some of the Best

In the last few years, we’ve seen countless early access titles surface on Steam and flourish, using the time granted by an earlier push to generate funds for the full development of a new title. In some cases, early access games flounder and fall, especially if they take a long time to leave that state.

But sometimes, an early access gem will appear, stick to a roadmap, and hit a full launch deadline without any issues.

The most recent example that rings true to that is Endnight’s Sons of the Forest, which was released in early access and then launched as a full game exactly one year later, storming to success on Steam.

In a new blog post, Valve revealed that the early access date field is being added to promote better transparency for early adopters.

The team explained:

Occasionally, developers with a game in Early Access would ask us proactively if there was any official place to display a planned 1.0 date. They wanted existing and potential players to know about their plans. Many studios were already sharing their 1.0 dates in other places– within the text description on the store page, via Steam Event news posts, on social media, in their forums, and so on.

However, they advised against using it just to use it, stressing that developers should only add a date if they’re relatively confident they’ll hit it. Otherwise, they risk running into trouble with their prospective fans.

Do you think this feature is a win? Let us know your favorite early access games on Steam right now over on the Insider Gaming Discord server.

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