Early access means getting access to the game prior to its 1.0 release. It also usually means you can provide feedback to the dev(s) and help shape the game’s development. EA games can also be priced less than their 1.0 launch price.
Shortcomings of the system are mainly that there’s no guarantee the game will be finished or the dev may just slap 1.0 on it and call it done, despite it being in an unfinished state.
I don’t know if there’s a way to “fix” the system and I think it works well for the most part. I think people need to not buy into hype so quickly and also be aware that they’re buying an unfinished product that has no guarantee of actually being completed.
mrmisses@lemmy.world 1 day ago
It usually means the game is cheaper than the release price. So it’s like getting it on sale. And you can play it while it’s still undergoing changes and testing. That’s all I know
sukhmel@programming.dev 1 day ago
I’m not even sure in that, some Early Access games seem to have a pretty substantial price tag. But those also usually don’t feel as unpolished