Well... uuhhh.... "Line of Defense Backers" with their 'Early Access' fee(s). DS hasnt spent 100% of his own money or a publisher's to produce his game. I do respect the fact the issue of DS spending his own resources to develop his project. However, I have to review DS's 'Line of Defense' development blog to see how much the $99 "Early Access" campaign funded/raised for his project and how many pledged as Star Citizen displays on its website. I'm sure DS has released this info in the spirit of transparency and fairness to the number of LoD Backers who paid the $99.
Fast forwarding from mid-2012 to June 2014:
Line of Defense developer Derek Smart defends $99 Early Access fee
Line of Defense will carry a $99 price tag into Early Access, a big chunk of change for any game, much less one that isn't finished. The price includes the game, the top-tier Tactical Advancement Level IV kit (which will normally sell for $70 on its own), the choice of four Early Access-exclusive Commander Perks and a free copy of Line of Defense Tactics.
LoD isn't crowd-funded. It went into development back in late 2010, and didn't appear on early access (during early beta) until Sept 2014. It's all there in the
changelog. There's no requirement to make early access sales public; aside from being in violation of the Steam guidelines, nobody does that. Why would I? And what's
transparency and fairness got to do with it when it's neither a promise to deliver anything? Aside from the fact that anyone who wanted a refund, got it directly from Steam within its guidelines.
Anyone who knows me, and knows the history of my games, knows that if I had crowd-funded the game, and raised even $20M, that I would have shipped a game by now. Just like I have done all these
decades. I'm an indie, and not dishonest. So I don't have the luxury of running scams. I have to make do with what resources I have in order to build the games that I want to.
You're not paying for a crowd-funded game with a delivery promise. You're paying to see how a game is made, whether or not it succeeds. The Steam
early access guidelines are pretty clear on this.
Is this the same as pre-purchasing a game?
No. Early Access is a full purchase of a playable game. By purchasing, you gain immediate access to download and play the game in its current form and as it evolves. You keep access to the game, even if the game later moves from Early Access into fully released.
When will these games release?
Its up to the developer to determine when they are ready to 'release'. Some developers have a concrete deadline in mind, while others will get a better sense as the development of the game progresses. 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.
Pricing of individual games may change over time
Some developers will start by offering a discount for buying early while others will charge a premium, depending on their goals and the level of commitment and feedback they desire from Early Access customers.
Devs don't tend go to early access to
get their game funded. That's not what it's for. Those who do, are the ones that fail when they can't raise enough interest and money to complete the project. I never start a project without having the money to complete it.
EA is primarily to drum up interest, to attract those who would want to play and support the game through development, and in some cases, to get
engagement and tech metrics which determine various aspects of the development. It's why I did it in 2014, got the metrics and interest that I needed, then
moved it from open early access back to CBT shortly before the
UE4 port started.
Also, the $99 was the highest tier that game with physical goods, and a free game. We had
three of those early tiers for only a week in order to weed out all the flakes who would otherwise just jump in without any meaningful commitment to assist in the game's development. Then after we had the
final four tiers ($29.99, $39.99, $49.99, $59.99).
