The developer behind Baldur's Gate 3, Larian Studios, is probably betting on early access again for its next project. In an interview with Stephen Totilo for Game File, head of publishing Michael Douse said the model is key to creating a situation where developers have a constant dialogue with players.

"I think, you know, our next--whatever the next thing will be--will also probably be in early access," Douse said. "That way you remove a lot of the prediction, too. When you release a game in AAA, whatever method, [if] you don't have early access, you're taking a huge bet on the fact that this is good and people like it. In early access, you find out very quickly. It helps you steer the massive ship."

The interviewee advocated for early access as the only way to create social resonance now. In terms of creating a strong core gameplay loop and building around it to foster a community, the model is "probably the best way to do it," said Douse.

For all its strengths, Douse said that the model is scary. "It turns your company sort of into a live-service company, because you've got to feed that machine," he said. "But we were very open about not doing that."

A way of setting expectations clearly was to communicate what would be happening during early access from the get-go, such as the fact that the team would not be adding major story beats until the 1.0 version.

While he recognized that studios might need help with difference services publishers can offer, such as financing, Douse said that early access becomes a fractal loop of sorts that adapts over time. As such, more companies the size of Larian should have that agility. "If you want to survive, you need agility. It's really important. Going direct to an audience doesn't need anything more than a developer."

Elsewhere in Baldur's Gate 3 news, Larian had fallback plans if the game's risks didn't pan out, and the developer doesn't see AI as a replacement for human workforce. Following Baldur's Gate 3, Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro are investing $1 billion into their AAA game ecosystem.