Valve: Early Access devs may be 'unable to finish their game'

Valve has issued an update to its Steam Early Access FAQ, warning users that some featured games may never reach a completed state.

"It's up to the developer to determine when they are ready to 'release,'" an unaltered section of the FAQ reads. "Some developers have a concrete deadline in mind, while others will get a better sense as the development of the game progresses."

GamesBeat reports that the following statement was appended recently: "You should be aware that some teams will be unable to 'finish' their game. So you should only buy an Early Access game if you are excited about playing it in its current state."

The FAQ saw an additional update regarding game release status. "You keep access to the game, even if the game later moves from Early Access into fully released," Valve's statement now reads.

The change in wording follows the recent halting of in-progress city management game Towns following its approval via Steam Greenlight. Early Access candidate Earth: Year 2066 was removed from Valve's storefront last month amid claims of dishonest marketing.

Valve director of marketing Doug Lombardi issued the following statement when approached by GamesBeat: "The changes to the FAQ are intended to help set customer expectations of what may or may not happen over the course of development of an Early Access game. We frequently iterate on Steam features as we gather feedback and find areas for improvement."

Lombardi continued: "In this case, it became apparent that further clarification would help customers evaluate their potential purchase of Early Access titles. We think of Steam, Early Access, and game development as services that grow and evolve best with the involvement of customers and the community."

[Image: Valve]