The release it now, fix it later mindset. Early acces on Steam is both a blessing, and a curse. On the one hand we get access to games earlier in the development process, and on the other hand we sadly get access to games earlier.
It’s clearly abused by some developers, whose product lingers in EA for years, and it is used by some to deflect criticism. In fact some in this very thread have used the same defence. “Wait until the next big patch comes out, otherwise it’s not fair to criticise.”
Here’s my take on this. The moment Microsoft charged money for the product it is open to criticism. If it isn’t ready, don’t charge money for it.
It’s extremely disappointing to go from the state 2020 is in, to the state 2024 is in. The overall state should have been at least at the same level, or better. Not worse. But here we are in the normalised state where the release window is more important than the quality of the product being released, at least in the eyes of those holding the purse strings.