Big-budget games releasing in Early Access are making it harder for smaller indie developers, the leads behind Deadhaus Sonata say. The game's creative director Ethan McKinnon added that players naturally compare everything in the same marketplace, so smaller teams are being held to a much higher standard than they were in the past.
Denis Dyack, the game's founder, criticised the trend of giant publishers releasing games in Early Access for marketing purposes rather than to build the game with community feedback. He said that these publishers can put up a polished product and rake in cash, leaving players expecting a near-perfect game that defeats the purpose of Early Access.
AAA publishers are abusing Early Access, skewing player expectations in such a way that it heavily disadvantages smaller independent developers, Dyack claimed.