Pocketpair remains committed to Steam Early Access, but Palworld lead John Buckley believes the program no longer carries the meaning it once did. In comments reported by GamesRadar, Buckley argued that players increasingly approach an Early Access purchase as if they were buying a finished game, creating expectations that can clash with the realities of ongoing development.
That tension is particularly visible when players consume available content quickly and then expect another substantial update within weeks. Pocketpair’s response has been to communicate what each update is intended to deliver, including whether it will prioritize new content or quality-of-life improvements. Despite the difficulties, Buckley said the studio is confident in Early Access and expects to use it again for a future major project.
Players increasingly expect finished-game pacing
“Now the culture has changed and early access, essentially, has lost its meaning,” Buckley told GamesRadar. “People just buy an early access game like they buy a normal game and treat it like that’s the game.”
Buckley partly attributed that change to what he described as a migration of hyper-casual mobile and live-service gaming culture onto Steam. In his view, expectations shaped by games designed around frequent engagement and recurring content are now affecting how some Steam users respond to projects that are still being built.
For Palworld, he said this can result in players spending heavily for one or two weeks before complaining that the game is dead because more content has not appeared. His answer to that pressure reflects the time required to make a substantial update: “Well guys, see you in six months. We’ve got to make the game.”
The distinction matters because Early Access development does not necessarily follow the constant content cadence associated with a live-service game. As an editorial interpretation, Buckley’s comments describe a mismatch between development schedules and player expectations rather than an argument that players should accept unclear plans or unfinished work without scrutiny.
Pocketpair is trying to set expectations for updates
Buckley said Pocketpair attempts to be transparent about both update timing and scope. That includes warning players when the next update remains some distance away and explaining when its emphasis will be quality-of-life work rather than a large injection of new content.
“I think we try to be quite transparent,” he said. “‘Hey guys, the next update’s a while away. It’s not going to be content-heavy, it’s going to be QOL-heavy.’ We try to balance it.”
That approach also frames expectations around Palworld update 1.1. The game is expected to continue after the update, but Buckley has not positioned 1.1 as another massive overhaul. He has also said he would not rule out a Palworld 2.0, while cautioning players against expecting the kind of decade-long heavy support associated with No Man’s Sky.
Those statements establish limits without presenting an endpoint for Palworld. Pocketpair is indicating that development will continue, while resisting the assumption that every update must deliver a sweeping transformation or that support must follow another game’s long-term model.
Early Access feedback differs between PC and consoles
Buckley believes Early Access encounters its greatest difficulty on consoles because console players are generally less accustomed to the concept. He also said Pocketpair receives less feedback from those players than from PC users, whom he characterized as being particularly willing to submit bug reports.
Feedback is central to the traditional purpose of Early Access: developers release a work in progress, players respond to it, and that response helps shape development. Buckley’s concern is that the relationship changes when the product is treated as complete from the moment it can be purchased.
His comments do not suggest that every project benefits from the model. Buckley acknowledged that Early Access can be “a disaster” for some games and said its suitability depends partly on how receptive a developer wants to be. Pocketpair nevertheless remains a strong advocate, having used the model multiple times. Its previous survival game, Craftopia, is approaching version 1.0.
Buckley says the model can be abused as a funding shortcut
Buckley also criticized how some developers use Early Access, arguing that it has increasingly become a way to release a build immediately when money is needed and to bypass traditional funding routes.
“The biggest way it’s abused now is just like, ‘We’ll release it now because we need money,’” he said. “It’s a way now to sidestep traditional funding means.” He compared that role to Kickstarter: “Put out the build to get the money.”
The criticism is notable because it comes from a studio that still supports the program. Pocketpair’s position is not that Early Access should disappear, but that its purpose depends on clear expectations, meaningful feedback and a development team prepared to respond to players. Buckley’s comments place responsibility on both sides: studios must communicate what buyers are funding, while players need to recognize when they are entering an active development process rather than purchasing a conventionally finished game.
