GreedFall 2's Early Access Model Makes Perfect Sense After Baldur's Gate 3

Since it was confirmed during the Nacon Connect event in February 2024, GreedFall 2: The Dying World, the prequel to the 2019 cult classic, has finally gotten an official early access release date of September 24, 2024. During GreedFall 2‘s indefinite early access period, developer Spiders hopes to obtain enough feedback that it can build the game alongside players until it becomes the GreedFall experience they have wanted since the release of the first game in 2019. This is a far cry from the developer’s approach to the first GreedFall, as its full version was released outright rather than it also going through early access. However, this may prove to be the best route for GreedFall 2 to take, as the first game was well-received by many but not enough to become more than a cult classic.

Some have questioned Spiders’ decision to place GreedFall 2: The Dying World in early access, especially with it being a single-player game. After all, it’s not common for single-player games to go through a period of early access development, since there are no multiplayer or competitive elements that may require balance fixes identified through testing. Even so, Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 is proof that early access can be a highly beneficial experience for a game if it is modeled correctly. Thankfully, GreedFall 2 seems to be copying Baldur’s Gate 3‘s approach to early access, which bodes well for the prequel, considering Baldur’s Gate 3 won 2023’s coveted Game of the Year award.

GreedFall 2 Needs to Capitalize on a Natural Advantage of Prequels

As a prequel, GreedFall 2: The Dying World has a chance to do something its predecessor couldn’t, likely broadening its demographic in the process.

GreedFall 2 Modeling Its Early Access Launch After Baldur’s Gate 3 Is a Good Omen

Like Baldur’s Gate 3, Only a Third of GreedFall 2 Will Be Available During Early Access

While it might be disappointing to some, Spiders has confirmed that only 30% of GreedFall 2 will be available during early access. It’s currently impossible to know just how long it will take players to get through 30% of the game, but that may be beside the point. When Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 went into early access, only the game’s first act was available, and it went on to win Game of the Year in 2023. This means that GreedFall 2 is adopting nearly the same approach to early access as the three-act Baldur’s Gate 3, with only a third of its story being made available — although some consider Baldur’s Gate 3 to have four acts when including its prologue.

GreedFall 2’s 30% Model Is More Than Enough to Polish the Full Release

If Baldur’s Gate 3 has proven anything, it’s that a developer can take feedback gained from only a third of a game and use it to produce a polished experience for the game’s full release. It is already abundantly clear that this is Spiders’ ultimate goal with GreedFall 2, as it won’t even allow players to carry over their progress from the game’s early access version to its full release because it expects GreedFall 2‘s developmental milestones to be drastic. Some players might consider that to be a downside of GreedFall 2‘s early access period, but they may have wanted to start a new game anyway with all the updates and changes that will be present at the time of its full release.

Fans have now waited nearly five years for GreedFall 2, so learning that it will be heading into early access for an indefinite period may have been disheartening news. However, as the first GreedFall has left many players wanting more from its gameplay, placing GreedFall 2 in early access ahead of its full release is arguably the best decision Spiders could have made for it. Additionally, it makes GreedFall 2‘s early access all the more exciting after seeing what Larian Studios was able to do with Baldur’s Gate 3.