The publisher of Manor Lords has defended the strategy game, saying it believes it promotes a concept of “infinite growth” that “cause a lot of trouble for the games industry”.
Manor Lords launched into Early Access earlier this year and was a huge success, selling 2 million copies in its first three weeks. However, like many Early Access games, the buzz around the game has died down, in part because the game hasn’t had frequent major updates since its release. Raphael van Lierop, CEO of The Long Dark developer Hinterland, criticized this in a LinkedIn post, saying that while they “really like the game,” there’s “very little content” and it’s “a very interesting case study in the pitfalls of Early Access development.”
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Lierop continued: “The game’s fundamentals are very strong, but there’s not a lot of content. A system-focused game needs a range of maps, game modes, or some level of procedural generation to keep things fresh.
“Early Access is a marathon, and when you launch you need to have the next major content expansion queued up. This game is 2.5 months old now, with three fairly minor patches and no new features or content. As a result, I’ve put this game aside and don’t expect to look at it again for another 6 months, by which time I’ll probably focus on playing other games. Once you lose people’s attention, it’s hard to get them back.”
However, Tim Bender, CEO of Manor Lords publisher Hooded Horse, disagreed with this stance, responding on LinkedIn that this is “exactly the same warped endless growth/burden of expectation/line must go up perspective that causes so much trouble in the games industry.” Bender explained that they spoke with the Manor Lords developer before launch and that they would hear a lot about “missed opportunities,” but that they should “ignore all of that” and “focus on his core vision for the game, and remember that the road to Early Access is long and he shouldn’t feel any pressure from other people’s expectations.”
Bender went on to point out that “if the industry is going to find a more sustainable path forward, we need to move away from the following ideas. Success shouldn’t create ever-increasing new growth expectations. Not every game should aim to be some kind of boom-or-bust live service. Release shouldn’t start an ever-accelerating treadmill that forces developers to keep running until their mental or physical health collapses.”
It’s a great idea, especially considering how much pressure there is on Early Access games, and it’s good to know that Manor Lords’ publisher supports more sustainable development practices. So let’s hope Manor Lords continues to take its time!
