What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access? “Executive Hockey already provides many features of a management simulation of professional hockey and is largely working and playable. To finish the game for final release, the developers need to know what features are working well, which ones need improvements, which ones are unnecessary, and what should be added. We feel that only the community can truly help with this.” Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access? “We are expecting that the Early Access period will last roughly one year. On final release, player data and dates will be refreshed.” How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version? “The full version of Executive Hockey will look and feel largely the same as the Early Access version. Some moderate-sized features will probably be added, including things like a dedicated player information page, a match search function, and notification windows about major game events such as AI player trades. The full version will probably not be able to load games that were saved in Early Access, unless this is something the community really desires.” What is the current state of the Early Access version? “The Early Access version is a playable game, has a completed Windows installer, includes player data updated to September 2017, and allows players to load and save games. It doesn't quite simulate professional hockey to the extent that we hope, although in some ways, it purposely simplifies some of the minutiae and tedium of running a real team.” Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access? “The Early Access price will be lower than the price of the full release. The price may come up slightly as features are added and the full release approaches. Executive Hockey is a niche title, and we do not plan to charge AAA game prices at any point.” How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process? “We will be setting up a website with a discussion forum and an email mailing list for anyone who is inclined to join up. We do not anticipate a large volume of participants upon the beginning of Early Access, which will give us time to absorb and consider the suggestions of those players.”