Releasing unfinished games is no longer limited to EA, many developers have picked up the habit of Early Access versions of their games and it is in danger of becoming as common as pre-purchases have.  For some users this is not an issue, beta testing can be fun if you are that type of person or have a vested interest in trying to contribute to the development of a game.  Uber has gone one step further with Planetary Annihilation, actually releasing an Early Access version of the game to retail stores with a free upgrade to the full version once it is released.  There will be many consumers that do not understand that this is not a finished game and will purchase it with the expectation that it is completed.  This will likely lead to a lot of internet bile being unleashed and bad reviews being published which is something you would think a publisher would want to avoid.  Do you think that it is not an issue or perhaps a self correcting one or do you agree with Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN that this could be the start of a bad trend for the gaming industry?  It is unlikely that this particular game will die in development and never be released but if it becomes a common trend unscrupulous publishers could slap together a demo, sell it as a pre-release and then abandon development; they've already made money so why bother finishing the game if consumers are happy paying full price for a half-baked product?

For those who prefer to play fully finished and perhaps even heavily modded games, why not join the Fragging Frogs for a gaming session? 

"The practice of releasing alpha or beta games as part of an “Early Access” plan is not, in itself, inherently harmful. It can be quite good for a game when developers priorities are in order and everyone is given plenty of information about what they’re getting into upfront. Planetary Annihilation‘s early access version on brick-and-mortar store shelves, though?"

Frogs moron

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