Nexus 5X: Was Early Access worth it? That's what the developers say

The recently released Nexus 5X was previously in early access under the name Stellaris Nexus before being renamed for full launch.

It was the second early access project for the development studio Whatboy Games (after Trials of Fire in 2019) and in both cases the experiences for the team were “very positive”.

Satisfied with the development

“Early Access offers studios a fantastic opportunity to try out some riskier ideas and get immediate feedback from players,” says studio director Dax Ginn in an interview with Eurogamer.de.

“And under conditions where everyone knows that nothing is set in stone yet. A game like Nexus 5X stands or falls with the balance of the game. Early Access therefore gave us the opportunity to optimize the balance of all aspects of the game and the community to ask for their feedback without feeling like we're upsetting everyone (too much).”

An important aspect in early access is of course the game balance, but it is also about how “readable” the game is.

“There is a lot of user interface in Nexus 5X, as there is a lot of information being conveyed at any time,” he explains. “In turn-based strategy games this isn't usually a problem because people have as much time as they need to make their decisions. However, we wanted to bring the 4X genre into the multiplayer realm, so we needed a turn timer so that everyone Actions can be resolved at the same time.”

“The fact that the players are under time pressure also put pressure on us. We had to make sure that all the graphically displayed information was relevant and readable at all times. And the only way to do that reliably is to show people the game They have a different perspective on it because, unlike us, they don't know it yet.”

For Ginn, early access offers “many different benefits,” but one of the biggest is being able to put your ideas to the test.

“When you make a game, you have this idea in your head of what makes it fun or special,” he explains. “But this is a very personal thing. Through early access, others get a look at it whose way of thinking is significantly different than your own. And then you can ask them what they think about it.”

“Hopefully they'll see the same appeal in the game as you do. But if they don't, there's still a chance in Early Access to wake up and do something about it. And that applies just as much to the marketing decisions as it does to the game's features. “

Nexus 5X has been available on PC since April 18, 2024.