A French strategy studio is reflecting on how Early Access expectations have shifted nearly 15 years later, and the CEO admits his team spent more time fixing complaints than inventing new ideas.
Romain de Waubert de Genlis, one of Amplitude Studios’ cofounders and its current CEO, spoke to Rock Paper Shotgun this week about Endless Legend 2, the sequel to the studio’s fantasy strategy game. The game began its post-launch development journey last year and is set to leave the platform on September 17 with a full 1.0 release. The problem, de Waubert de Genlis says, is that players now expect a finished product on day one — and they are unforgiving when they don’t get it.
“Going back to 10, 15 years ago, people understood very well it was an unfinished game,” he said. “Now if you come to early access with an unfinished game you’ll get crushed… ‘I paid you 50 euros and you give me an unfinished game?’ The expectations are not the same at all.”
Early Access Then vs. Now
Endless Legend 2’s journey began a year ago. The game got off to a good start, but it also fell into the modern Early Access trap. Some players came in expecting a more complete experience, while longtime fans hung back upon hearing how unfinished the game may have initially felt. Even now, some players on Steam are skeptical of the September 17 launch date.
The studio’s debut game, Endless Space, was one of the first to use the now-popular model for working in tandem with fans to finish a game’s development. At that time, players and press stayed away from something that was still in Early Access. Now it’s the opposite. The Early Access launch is treated as the big release day while the 1.0 launch is considered just another major update.
| Era | Player Expectations | Studio Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 10-15 years ago | Understanding of unfinished games | Creative experimentation |
| Today | Demands for polish on day one | Complaint response |
The Cost of Experimentation
De Waubert de Genlis described the tension between risk and safety in Endless Space 2’s Early Access journey. He originally saw it as possible to try things, and that meant being allowed to make mistakes because creativity requires experimenting — sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
“You learn from that and you improve and in the end you have something solid but the path could be a bit rocky, or else you have no risk and and you have something flat. So it is tricky.”
He admitted that the team’s time and energy across dozens of patches and major updates was spent more on responding to player complaints than on performing grand experiments to help determine what the game might still become. “People can be a bit unforgiving if in one of these updates something is not perfect,” he told Rock Paper Shotgun. “It’s like, ‘Guys, we’re trying something. We’re working on it.'”
What Players Are Still Criticizing
The game has strong worldbuilding and a clear identity, but there are concerns about clunky UI and a lack of content. The skepticism around the September 17 launch date suggests some players remain unsure the game is ready.
Key Dates
- Endless Legend 2 began its post-launch journey a year ago
- It leaves Early Access on September 17 with a full 1.0 release
The shift is real, and it cuts both ways. Studios can now build games with fan input and ship earlier, but they also face a public that expects everything to work on day one. De Waubert de Genlis is not complaining about the change itself — he is describing it, warts and all.
The studio’s time on Endless Legend 2 has been spent smoothing out rough edges rather than pushing boundaries. That is a cautionary note for anyone who wants to try something bold.
- Endless Legend 2 launched into Early Access a year ago
- It leaves Early Access on September 17 with a full 1.0 release
- Players have complained about clunky UI and a lack of content
The Early Access model has grown up.
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