Back when we first revealed Hades II at The Game Awards in 2022, we said to expect more information on our plans for Early Access sometime in 2023. It's time we shed some light on those plans!
Early Access Starts Next Year
We now can confirm we're planning for Hades II to launch in Early Access in Q2 2024 on Steam and the Epic Games Store. We'll have more details on the exact date, pricing, and system requirements closer to that time.
Thank you for your patience as we gear up for this launch! You may be wondering, why can't we launch in Early Access, like, right now?! The game looked pretty far along in the first trailer! The reason is, Hades II will have at least as much content from day one in Early Access as the original game did back when it launched in Early Access on Steam. And, even though Early Access inherently means a game is not yet complete, we still want to do everything we can to make sure Hades II is worth your while as soon as you can play it in any capacity.
You can add Hades II to your wishlist on Steam or the Epic Games Store and join our email mailing list to find out as soon as our Early Access is available.
Prior to That: The Hades II Technical Test
Also in Q2 2024, shortly before we launch in Early Access, we're going to run a technical test with a limited sample of players. The purpose of this test will be to find and solve any technical or compatibility issues we might have missed, to ensure anyone who tries Hades II in Early Access can have a smooth play experience. To that end, this technical test will contain much less content than what's in store for the Early Access launch, and likely be limited only to a relatively small subset of players who express interest in participating. We'll announce more details about the Hades II Technical Test closer to when it's ready.
More About Early Access & Beyond
Early Access was vitally important to the entire idea behind the original Hades -- we decided it would be an Early Access game before deciding literally anything else about it, such as the Underworld setting. We've approached development of Hades II knowing Early Access will be no less important this time, though now knowing a bit more of what to expect from Early Access development, as well as more about what a Hades game needs to be. We believe the timeframe we're planning for will be the "sweet spot" where the game is far enough along that player feedback won't mostly consist of stuff we already know isn't there yet, but isn't so far along that it's too late in development for us to act on the feedback we receive.
Similar to how we approached Early Access with the original, following our Hades II Early Access launch, we'll have several Major Updates adding the rest of the game's core content and refining what's there based on player feedback. The story will expand with each update, as we introduce more characters, and deepen relationships with existing ones. This process will culminate in our v1.0 launch, which will feature the conclusion to the story and any other finishing touches.
We don't yet know exactly how long it will take us to get to v1.0 of Hades II, as our experience developing in Early Access has taught us (among many things) to expect the unexpected. For now, our focus is to keep building core content -- environments, characters, weapons, Boons, story events, music, and more -- as we gear up for our Technical Test and Early Access launch in Q2 this coming year. Thank you again for your patience and support as we work to ensure our first sequel meets our standards, and hopefully yours, too!
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