Baldur's Gate 3 had a longearly access period—opening its doors in October 2020 before finally dropping in August 2023, almost three years (1,031 days, to be exact) later.
It was a vastly different game to what it is now. For instance, I remember my inner D&D rules lawyer being very upset that firebolt made a damaging surface—that misstep, as well as a few others, were corrected for the better, producing what I'll happily call one of the strongest RPGs we'll see this decade.
The success of those fixes stem from Larian's approach to early access, which is rooted strongly in player feedback, adjustment, and constant maintenance.
While attending BAFTA's «An Evening with Baldur's Gate 3», Larian Studios co-founder and CEO Swen Vincke, writing director Adam Smith, and lead writer Chrystal Ding were asked by interviewer Jane Douglas whether they believed in early access as the future of game development. «I don't think [early access] is the future of, because you never know what the future will bring,» Vincke answers. «For us, it's been really good—I heartily recommend it, but you really have to mean it when you go in there.
You have to work with the players on making your game better, otherwise you shouldn't be doing it.» What it feels like Vincke is warning against, here, is releasing an early access build as a preview you leave in the dust or, heaven forbid, an elaborate marketing scheme based purely on FOMO: «You need to take time for it … if you're only in early access for a month or so, that's fine too, but then it's probably just to test some technical things and you have to be open about that.» When asked about whether he'd recommend a similar three-year lifespan, Sven takes a moment, sighs heavily, and laughs: «My team is watching.