We Happy Few, Early Access, and the danger of a good trailer

We Happy Few, Early Access, and the danger of a good trailer

"Your store page is not irrelevant, but it’s a bit irrelevant," says Compulsion's Sam Abbott. "If people have an idea in their mind of what your game is, that’s what they’re buying. It’s not the fine print."

While the article is mainly about the changing role of early access in game development and marketing over the past few years, to me the most interesting (and slightly terrifying) part is the way We Happy Few struggled with expectation management. Early trailers created a lot of interest, but also resulted in expectations that were not completely accurate. Once fans get an idea of what a game is going to be, it’s hard to change minds without disappointing them.