Pocketpair’s new game, Never Grave: The Witch and the Curse, has shifted course and will skip early access entirely, opting to launch in full 1.0 form. This change comes after the team received feedback from a Steam Next Fest demo and decided to focus on delivering a polished experience from day one.
Never Grave, announced in 2023, was described as a co-op, Hollow Knight-inspired title featuring four-player multiplayer, base-building, roguelite elements, and a distinct mechanic allowing players to possess enemy creatures, somewhat like Mario Odyssey. The game is developed by a new internal team at Pocketpair, the studio behind Palworld, which blends Pokémon-like creature collecting with base-building and multiplayer.
Initially planned for early access release in late 2023, Never Grave’s launch was pushed to early 2024. After the demo period during Steam Next Fest, the studio gathered mixed but helpful player feedback. Instead of proceeding with early access updates, Pocketpair has now decided to complete the game and release it fully finished. Their Steam update states: “Due to the helpful feedback from many players during the demo period, we have decided to deliver the game in its complete form, rather than in staged early access. The development team is currently making final adjustments to make sure that you receive the best gaming experience from day one. Stay tuned!”
Interestingly, the demo has since been taken offline as the team prepares for the full release. I find this approach refreshing, it’s not common for a game to move away from early access plans after demo feedback, especially nowadays when early access is often the default for indie titles. It seems Pocketpair wants to avoid the burnout from stretched-out early access periods and instead focus on delivering a solid, finished product at launch.
What do you think about this decision? Would you prefer a game that comes out fully complete, or do you enjoy early access phases with ongoing updates and community involvement?
