Overview:

Early access is fast becoming a dominant force in video game development. From independent studios to huge, publisher-backed AAA titles, opening up a game to players ahead of its official launch provides real benefits across design, QA, marketing and more. However, these rewards come at a cost. Using a range of examples from the development of Arma 3 -- from its public alpha to its beta, final release, and post-launch support -- the talk will examine the failures and successes of its early access strategy. It will also offer some techniques that can be used by other developers to perfect their own plans.