To see a successful Early Access project, look no further than Hades. Supergiant Games’s fourth game was its first Early Access, and it did everything an Early Access should do: a defined road toward a final release, regular and significant updates, clear communication, and, always, quality. Hades is finally entering 1.0 this Autumn, and Supergiant Showed it off with an awesome new animated trailer, made by Spencer Wan (known for the Castlevania Netflix show) and his new studio. Unfortunately, we don’t have an exact release date yet.
Hades is finally releasing this Autumn
For those not in the know, Hades is a rogue-like set in Greek Mythology. However, some prefer to call it a rogue-lite, as it is not quite the same as traditional rogue-likes. Hades is very forgiving and allows you to grow your powers are you make attempts to escape the hellish Underworld. 1.0 will add a bunch of new stuff, including the final ending. If you want to learn more, Supergiant is doing a Q&A on Aug. 21 at 10 a.m. PT on their official Discord server.
Is Early Access the way forward for Supergiant Games?
There is no denying that Early Access has worked wonderfully for Hades and Supergiant Games. One can only guess how many more copies they’ll sell once they go live, as there are many people who said they are awaiting the final release before purchasing. Regardless, the Hades community is thriving and it has kept the game alive for nearly three years by the time it will release.
Despite the incredible reviews Supergiant has gotten for their previous games, the communities for Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre are nowhere near as active as Hades. Of course, the newest game will always be the one with the most attention, but three years down the line?
One might wonder what is next for Supergiant Games after this “experiment.” Hades worked wonderfully as a game that SGG kept expanding, but what about the next game? As a smaller studio, SGG naturally benefits strongly from a constant stream of revenue and feedback, but they are also a studio with a strong artistic view. Hopefully, they’ll do what’s best for the game, whatever it might be.
