GDC 2025 Session Viewer
Independent Games Summit: What Even is 1.0?: Indefinite Early Access and Live Development
Tanya X. Short (Captain, Kitfox Games)
Tarn Adams (Toady One, Bay 12 Games)
Jason Grinblat (Creative Director, Freehold Games)
Alexandra Orlando (Community Director, Kitfox Games)
Daniel Fedor (Director, Blue Bottle Games)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Indie Games Summit Pass - Get your pass now!
Track: Independent Games
Format: Panel
Vault Recording: TBD
Audience Level: All
Every game has a different struggle to face when it comes to live development, inviting players to participate in the evolution of a concept from a seedling to a full-fledged product. However, even if we limit the conversation by genre and platform (sandbox simulations on Steam), we can still see different teams use different methods and philosophies to pursue their goals and grow their game. Some tiptoe stealthily into Early Access, some launch into it with a bang, some bypass Early Access altogether. Some save up giant patches for years and others patch weekly. Four different teams will share their approach and the pros and cons they've observed in their results.
Takeaway
Here in 2024, what is the purpose and perception of Steam Early Access? How can we take better advantage of the benefits or limit suffering the drawbacks? How can developers develop in Early Access most effectively to not just survive the tidal wave of gamer attention but ideally surf along top of it? How do we see the relationship of players to live-development games changing in the coming years?
Intended Audience
Any independent developer intending to put their game live for paying-player feedback over a long-term development, especially on Steam.
