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Chris Kerr, Senior Editor, News, GameDeveloper.comAugust 22, 20254 Min ReadVia Evil Empire/UbisoftThe Rogue Prince of Persia developer Evil Empire doesn't believe it's worth entering early access in the current climate unless your project is at least 90 percent complete. Speaking to Game Developer at Gamescom 2025, studio marketing manager Matthew Houghton and art director Dylan Eurlings shared their thoughts on the state of contemporary early access campaigns and suggested the system is becoming increasingly risky. You might recognize Evil Empire as the studio that has spent years helping Dead Cells developer Motion Twin expand the franchise with DLC and free updates. Since May 2024, however, the studio has also been shepherding The Rogue Prince of Persia through an Steam Early Access campaign that culminated in an official launch on August 20.Yet, due to a variety of factors including shifting player expectations, the team had to tweak their pre-release strategy in a bid to lure in players. As a result, the studio has become more wary of early access in general. "To be honest, the way I see it now is that unless you're coming into early access with a 90 percent complete game, don't do it. Because players, they don't see it as early access, they see it a game to play," says Houghton. He adds that players are entitled to express their views because they're often paying money to play early access titles, but he feels that sifting viewpoint means consumers are less willing to follow games on an early access journey that will often result in significant changes. Related:Eurlings echoes that point and suggests that a perceived lack of polish and content can now be a "huge issue" during early access campaigns. He explains that Evil Empire was even forced to rethink their original roadmap after the earliest versions of Rogue Prince of Persia failed to meet internal expectations."Initially we wanted to do quick updates. Very fast. In the end, we took a bit more time to ensure that each update would be a bit more chunky," he adds, noting that pivot resulted in a steady cadence of monthly updates that each packed a fair bit of clout. That shift came after the team conceded that early access numbers "weren't great." Houghton explains the project initially attracted just under 1,000 peak concurrent users (CCU). After they flipped the script, the title started to pull in around 4,000 CCU. "That's why we wanted to prioritize chunky content—there would be an impact every time," says Houghton, before acknowledging the title still hadn't quite met the team's CCU expectations even after that switch-up. Related:"Of course you listen to the feedback and take the ideas [on board], but you have to feed them through a filter."It underlines the risks that come with early access, and Houghton specifically wonders whether some developers who can't hit that 90 percent completion benchmark before launching into early access might instead be better off conducting beta tests through Steam instead. If you're curious as to where Rogue Prince of Persia was when it entered Early Access, Houghton suggests the project was roughly 60 percent complete. Eurlings, was slightly more conservative, and claimed it was more like 50 percent. We suggested they meet in the middle. "Steam has evolved now. You can do beta tests and playtests through Steam. I think that's become more like Early Access. People aren't paying for it and your project might be a bit janky [...] but that's okay because they're still going to give feedback and it's not going to be a disaster if it's not great yet," continues Houghton. When asked whether Evil Empire would consider revisiting Early Access in the future, Houghton isn't so certain."I don't know. I'm going to be honest. I've been put off by it, because especially now people are so used to games coming out and then doing live ops for three, four, and five years—so why go with early access and have to deal with the stigma that's around it? I think I would do playtests and then just release," he explains. Related:Houghton adds that teams who are still convinced early access is right for them must have complete conviction in their creative vision—otherwise they might risk being derailed. "Of course you listen to the feedback and take the ideas [on board], but you have to feed them through a filter, otherwise you'll have too many cooks. [...] You'll have people who are super enthusiastic who think you can't do anything wrong, and then you get the people who are just super negative and people who are just throwing ideas at you that you know won't work in the game." It's a situation that can feel overwhelming, with Houghton explaining that Rogue Prince of Persia's game director found the onslaught "too much" at times. "You have to stick to your vision," says Houghton. "Listen, but just cherry pick [your feedback] carefully."Game Developer attended Gamescom 2025 via the Gamescom Media Ambassador Program, which covered flights and accommodation.Read more about:GamescomTop StoriesInterviewsAbout the AuthorChris KerrSenior Editor, News, GameDeveloper.comGame Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.See more from Chris KerrDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

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Danielle Riendeau, Editor-in-Chief, GameDeveloper.comAugust 14, 20253 Min ReadVia PayPalValve says that one of PayPal's acquiring banks has pulled support for Steam purchases due to content concerns, impacting consumers who shop on the platform using certain currencies. The company offered the explanation to Rock Paper Shotgun (RPS) and said the withdrawal of support "is regarding content on Steam, related to what we’ve previously commented on surrounding Mastercard".Valve maintains that Mastercard used intermediaries (like payment processors and their intermediary banks) to force it to restrict the sale of NSFW and adult content. Mastercard denied this in a brief statement in early August.A Valve spokesperson confirmed the connection between that ongoing controversy and today's news. In this case, one of PayPal’s acquiring banks decided to stop processing any Steam transactions, which cut off PayPal on Steam for a number of currencies," they told RPS.On its website PayPal defines an acquiring bank (or merchant acquirer) as the bank that "receives the payment authorization and collects the customer’s funds on behalf of the business.""It can be easy to confuse the merchant acquirer vs. payment processor. Basically, the merchant acquirer is the bank that accepts the payment from the customer. But the payment processor does the heavy lifting of actually authorizing and completing the transaction," adds that explainer. "Some platforms, like PayPal, can act as both processor and acquirer, completing your business transactions and securely storing your money in one place."Related:Providing more context on the Steam Support page, Valve said the sudden termination will affect Steam purchases using PayPal in currencies other than EUR, CAD, GBP, JPY, AUD and USD.In an FAQ, Valve offered additional details:"We hope to offer PayPal as an option for these currencies in the future but the timeline is uncertain," Valve wrote. "We are also evaluating adding additional payment methods on Steam for the customers affected by this. In the meantime, please use one of our other current payment methods during checkout. If you can't use any of the available options, you can consider using a Steam Wallet code to add funds to your account."The IGDA warned against "creative suppression" on game platformsAfter the waves of controversy resulted in games being pulled or delisted from Steam and indie platform Itch.io, the IGDA put out a statement condemning the practice, calling it a form of "creative suppression" that harms certain creators unfairly."Games that feature consensual adult content, including queer, kink-positive, or romantic narratives, are easily targeted under vague or overly cautious enforcement, often forcing developers into silence or self-censorship because platforms fear perceived risks associated with hosting legal adult content," said the IGDA.Related:It also noted that safeguards are already in place on some platforms and had policy recommendations in hand for the future:"We urge platforms, payment processors, and industry leaders to engage in dialogue with developers and advocacy organizations. We welcome collaboration and transparency. This issue is not just about adult content. It is about developer rights, artistic freedom, and the sustainability of diverse creative work in games," continued the organization.Read more about:SteamAbout the AuthorDanielle RiendeauEditor-in-Chief, GameDeveloper.comDanielle is the editor-in-chief of Game Developer, with previous editorial posts at Fanbyte, VICE, and Polygon. She’s also a lecturer in game design at the Berklee College of Music, and a hobbyist game developer in her spare time.See more from Danielle RiendeauDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like