Ori dev wants to see Nintendo embrace "Early Access" games
Your move, Nintendo...
There are plenty of hot topics and buzzworthy things going on in games right now, but one of the most debated is the Early Access talking point.
For those who don’t know, Early Access gaming is a funding model by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alpha, alpha, and/or beta, while the developer is able to use those funds to continue further development on the game. (h/t Wiki) This is very commonplace on PC and also exists on Xbox as well, and one dev wants to see the approach embraced by Nintendo as well.
Moon Studios, the developer behind both Ori games, is currently working on their next game, No Rest for the Wicked. This title is in Early Access right now and it appears to have been quite a boon for the developer. So much so that Thomas Mahler, the CEO of Moon Studios, put out a lengthy social media statement praising Early Access and also calling for Nintendo to get in on the action.
We’re not even a week into Early Access and it’s already pretty clear that going with EA is one of the best decisions we could’ve made.
…even if you dislike the idea of Early Access: It’s one way to allow developers to truly perfect a product over time, so please try to understand that there’s value in that.
…And to that effect, we will need to see PlayStation and Nintendo also embrace Early Access. The industry is just changing at a rapid pace and holding on to things that were the norm 5-10 years ago is too restrictive.
While PlayStation may make the move to support Early Access games at some point, Nintendo doing so seems like an impossibility at the moment. The idea just seems to go against everything Nintendo believes with game development, but you never know how time and success (or lack thereof) can change perspectives.
The snippet above is just a small portion of what Mahler had to say. You can read his full statement on Early Access gaming here.
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