After 2.5 years of indie game development, why release it as an EA version?

[p]Hello everyone, I’m Asu, the developer who's been burning the midnight oil fixing bugs! Our sandbox adventure RPG XenoHaven is just one week away from its EA launch. Thanks for your patience and support! Feel free to head over to Steam to purchase or add it to your wishlist![/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]In today’s dev log, I’d like to talk about why we decided to launch an Early Access version. If you’re interested, you can click the link to watch the full video , or scroll down for the written breakdown.[/p][p]You might be wondering: “Early Access? Isn’t EA something everyone complains about? Why not just release a full version?”
The reason is simple — we’re not only developers, but also fans of sandbox games ourselves. We know better than anyone that creating a good sandbox game takes a huge amount of time and funding. The world-building and systems behind a sandbox experience are incredibly large and complex, yet we’re just a small indie team. So yes, I hesitated for a long time before making this decision.[/p][p][/p][p]After completing the dungeon update, I realized that although the game was still some distance away from the larger and more solid world model I envisioned, the current version already has a decent level of completeness, offering players more than ten hours of gameplay. And we still have many ideas we want to bring to life.[/p][p]So after weighing all the factors, I decided that releasing the game in Early Access was the right choice. This way, we can secure ongoing funding to support the development of more exciting content.[/p][p][/p][p]On the other hand, I believe that developing an indie game shouldn’t be done behind closed doors. Releasing the game in Early Access allows us to stay active, communicate continuously with players, and see whether our ideas resonate with the community. This helps us iterate and improve the game more effectively.[/p][p]Since launch, we’ve received many suggestions from players, as well as reports of issues encountered during gameplay. Over the past few days, we’ve been constantly fixing bugs and updating the game to ensure everyone can have the best experience possible.[/p][p][/p][p]I know many players worry that Early Access developers might abandon their projects—after all, there have been plenty of such cases in the past. But we already have a long-term update plan. That’s why, right after launch, we immediately released our roadmap for next year’s EA updates. You’re also welcome to join our community and push us to update faster.[/p][p]We’ll make the most of our time to bring multiplayer and Workshop support as soon as possible, and gradually add more content and features such as the weapon resonance system, world-driven variables, and more.[/p][p][/p][p]We are also very eager to hear your suggestions![/p][p]Welcome, all alien pioneers, to join our community discussions![/p][p]Join Our Discord：https://discord.com/invite/p8jHhK7QH2[/p]