Steam Early Access could be described as the Wild West of the gaming industry: The rules have yet to be written, authority has yet to establish any kind of firm grip, and great fortunes seem to await everyone who goes there. However, with Valve’s recent move to establish more rules and guidelines for Early Access, that may be changing. It certainly gave our whole team at Skara, The Blade Remains much to ponder, as developers for one of the last Early Access titles to be released prior to the new guidelines.

So here are my thoughts on the Early Access topic in general, what the program is good for and whether the new guidelines help make those aspects better.

"When it came to Skara’s Early Access, we thought it would be important to offer something back to these players willing to invest, so we have pledged that all Early Access members will get their money back as in-game currency and several limited edition in-game items once Skara is fully released."

Firstly, Early Access is a key way for indie developers to get their product out to the people as quickly as possible, bugs and all. And the play time Early Access purchasers put in is useful to most indie developers in showing them how to improve their projects. In Skara’s case, this is certainly true.

So why are first adopters paying for the privilege to play Early Access games? Why isn’t it the other way around?

Indie titles run a huge risk by putting themselves on Early Access. Nothing could be easier for players than to rip the experience around the incomplete game apart, and with it the morale and confidence of the game’s developers.  Making players pay for the privilege of playing acts as a kind of barrier to bad reviews and ensures that those taking part are invested in the process.

When it came to Skara’s Early Access, we thought it would be important to offer something back to these players willing to invest, so we have pledged that all Early Access members will get their money back as in-game currency and  several limited edition in-game items once Skara is fully released.

In that sense, the new guidelines are really good. It is in both the developer’s and the purchaser’s best interest that they know what they are signing up for. And although the onus is on the developer to make sure that communication is clear, it is not altogether in their power whether secondary sales sites use that communication. One clever way around this, which is mentioned in the guidelines, is to include the words ‘Early Access’ in the title of the game.

Secondly, Early Access is a good way for new titles to test their concepts on a real audience. Making even a simple game requires thousands upon thousands of small decisions, things that are often difficult to alter after the fact. Having even a small group of dedicated players helps designers and developers make those decisions.

"Early Access purchasers also take a risk by buying the game, that the game won’t get finished. It is completely normal that some users are starting to mistrust these projects. They are right. For the last two years a few studios tried Early Access as the last attempt to save their games, but because the sales were below their expectations they were forced to close the studio, unable to deliver what they promised."

With a game as complex as Skara, this is doubly true. Our community was helping with ideas from the beginning, in forum discussions about combat mechanics, etc. Turning our targeting system into a manual one was a crazy three months task, but we did it because our players asked. And they were right, the game is much better after this unexpected change. And I could continue for days describing how helpful our players have been since we released our game on Steam.

So for the developers, Early Access is a huge win, and for the players it is also a win—they end up getting to have input into a game—hopefully turning the relationship with it from ‘like’ to ‘love.’

Of course, making a game is a huge, and hugely expensive risk. Lots of developers can only afford to make games in their spare time, while holding down full time jobs. For the ones that go full time, failure has very serious consequences attached. They are heroes to me: for each new version of Call of Duty, there are thousands of small developers working their tails off to amaze and entertain you. Because THAT is the only reason they do what they do: passion, and a job that is a hobby to them.

Early Access purchasers also take a risk by buying the game, that the game won’t get finished. It is completely normal that some users are starting to mistrust these projects. They are right. For the last two years a few studios tried Early Access as the last attempt to save their games, but because the sales were below their expectations they were forced to close the studio, unable to deliver what they promised.

"After all, arguably any kind of entertainment investment is a risk. A movie may be lousy, a comedian might not be funny, the food at a restaurant may not be to one’s taste. Why should games promise anything more?"

As a user, it would be completely normal to be bummed out and even angry if this happens. But really, that kind of risk pales in comparison to the risks the developers make.

After all, arguably any kind of entertainment investment is a risk. A movie may be lousy, a comedian might not be funny, the food at a restaurant may not be to one’s taste. Why should games promise anything more?

In that sense, the new guidelines telling developers to launch only if they can afford to without sales and “to set expectations properly” do seem a bit harsh on developers, especially indie developers. Customers should be warned, but at the same time developers should be given some recognition for trying to create, even if they fail.

All in all, the new Early Access guidelines are a really helpful way for developers to think about their Early Access plans and establish their Early Access communications. We hope to see many more games go the way we have by opting for an Early Access and we hope many more gamers will see the benefits of playing Early Access games.

Note: The views expressed in this journal are those of the developer and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

GamingBolt spoke to commercial director Cesar Ortega about Skara and the development process behind it, including its support for micro-transactions and the general inspiration behind the game.

Rashid K. Sayed: To begin with, tell us a bit about yourself and company? What is your staff strength and how did you guys started?

Cesar Ortega: We grew up together playing (and criticizing) videogames. We wanted to create our own title, mixing features from several genres because we couldn’t find one on the market the game that really seemed to have everything in it.

"Those who want only a quick match or a violent short skirmish will enjoy our Basic Game Modes, having a lot of fun with their friends or people around the world."

We put together a fantastic team combining developers with a lot of experience working in AAA games and some young talent coming from university, where Pablo teaches for the master’s program. The result is a well-oiled machine with huge potential, as we believe is shown in Skara after only ten months of development.

Rashid K. Sayed: Skara – The Blade Remains is an intriguing take on combat. What was your inspiration behind the game?

Cesar Ortega: Lot of different games, actually. We love Versus Fighting games, and our combat system aspires to be similar to Tekken or Soul Calibur. But to take this combat system to a multiplayer environment our inspiration are action games, from League of Legends to Call of Duty—yes, we do think it’s possible to merge all of these feature into a single title

Rashid K. Sayed: The game will bring 16 players together on a single ground, hacking and slashing at each other. Can you please explain how this will work? Will there be any special rewards for the last man standing?

Cesar Ortega: Actually it will, since we want to provide a different experience for every kind of player. Those who want only a quick match or a violent short skirmish will enjoy our Basic Game Modes, having a lot of fun with their friends or people around the world. Those players able to discover  Skara’s secrets will get access to faction modes, creating their own armies and constantly unblocking new features available only for the most successful players. This way we encourage competition between gamers, offering a skill-based game where only accuracy, quick reflexes and practice can guarantee wins.

Rashid K. Sayed: Since this is a free to play game, what kind of micro-transactions can we expect in the game?

Cesar Ortega: We are committed to making Skara a free-to-win experience. All the content will be cosmetic and freely accessible through virtual currency that can be earned during combat. Fatalities or ways to personalize your character will also be accessible through micro-payments, for example, but those players who don’t want to spend money will be able to purchase them with their in-game money.

"Successful players will get the opportunity to create their own clans or tribes (we call them factions) and invite other players to join."

Rashid K. Sayed: I find it interesting that there are fatalities in the game. How do you plan to make them different yet unique from games like Mortal Kombat?

Cesar Ortega: We implemented a few really brutal ones, such as grabbing your enemy’s heart and showing it to them before they die. I don’t remember seeing that in Mortal Kombat! Our animation team really enjoy making them. It’s the time they can become free and create the spectacular scenes that will inflict fear over enemy souls.

We are also looking at implementing in-game procedural dismemberments in Skara, although this may come later.

Rashid K. Sayed: Players can take control of different territories. Can you please let me know how that will work?

Cesar Ortega: That is one of our favourite features and we are going of take a lot of care when implementing it. Successful players will get the opportunity to create their own clans or tribes (we call them factions) and invite other players to join. They will get a small point on the overall Skara map and will expand it as a consequence of their wins. The most successful factions will even get the chance to create their own arenas, and be remembered forever as those who ruled Skara.

Rashid K. Sayed: What kind of weapon/armour customization options and skill sets can players expect in the game?

Cesar Ortega: Players can create different customization sets to adapt to any battle or situation. This way, players can equip their character with a heavy armour if they are about to confront powerful enemies on the Siege Mode, or select Ranged Weapon equipment if they prefer to be in the distance backing their fellows with a rain of arrows. The way players of the same team or faction choose their equipment will become a huge thing in Skara, as the possible combinations can determine the outcome of a battle.

"The new SDK gives more resources to developers, and that´s always a good thing. We still haven’t decided where to use that extra 10 percent from the CPU, but probably not in effects."

Rashid K. Sayed: The game is confirmed to be coming to Xbox One. The eSRAM has been the culprit for majority of the games not running at 1080p on Xbox One. How are you tackling this situation?

Cesar Ortega: It’s too soon to say for us at this moment. We have our Xbox One developer kits as members of the ID@Xbox program, but we are focusing on the pc version first. As we are a small indie studio and we are not able to work on both versions at the same time, so when the moment comes to port the game to Xbox One and PS4, I´m sure we´ll face some technical problems, but I’m also sure we’ll overcome them.

Rashid K. Sayed: Are you using the June Xbox One SDK Update and Freed GPU Resource not using the Kinect, to improve performance of the Xbox One version?

Cesar Ortega: The first tests we made were with the June SDK, so our initial impression is that we are extremely happy with that 10% extra GPU.

The new SDK gives more resources to developers, and that´s always a good thing. We still haven’t decided where to use that extra 10 percent from the CPU, but probably not in effects. We are creating our effects to run similarly on both systems, no matter if it´s a PC or a console. But expect great things in our LOD´s system, with a more polished view of the characters and scenarios even from the far.

Rashid K. Sayed: Is the Xbox One version going to run at 1080p and 60fps on the Xbox One and PS4?

Cesar Ortega: We hope so, but again, it’s too soon to say. The tests we made are quite encouraging so far.

Rashid K. Sayed: What kind of differences do you see while developing on the PS4 and Xbox One? What makes them similar yet different from each other?

Cesar Ortega: Both systems are putting a lot of care to making life easier for developers, and that´s a huge improvement from the previous generations of consoles. We were able to port an internal build of Skara for Xbox One in less than 20 minutes, so we are dying to go deep with both systems.

"We have been lucky enough to get access to Unreal Engine 4 even in a beta stage, but that proves that a small studio can compete in graphics with the big names on the industry."

Rashid K. Sayed: What are your thoughts on the PS4’s API? Do you think it will make the development of the PS4 version of Skara easier?

Cesar Ortega: Sure, the evolution of the API has been huge, and I see Sony´s platform as a great tool for indie devs to get their games published sooner than ever.

Sony is being surprisingly helpful so far, I think they understand now how important the indie scene is becoming, so we are glad that they are making life easier for devs, porting a game for PS3 was a nightmare and I guess that´s a lesson Sony learned. Actually we think both Sony and Microsoft are doing a great job with Indies for now!

Rashid K. Sayed: Tell us about the PC version. When can we expect early access to begin?

Cesar Ortega: September 2014. We are right now testing and balancing the game with our Backers on Kickstarter, since we gave them instant access to our pre-alpha as soon as the campaign ended. For all of those who missed our campaign, you can still get an invite via our website and forums.

Rashid K. Sayed: We do know that Unreal Engine 4 is a great match with PC. But how will Unreal Engine 4 help the PS4 and Xbox One versions?

Cesar Ortega: Honestly, expect great things from Unreal Engine 4 on the next generation of consoles. They made everything easier to work on multi-platform titles, and that will mean a lot of small indie studios delivering exciting experiences with beautiful graphics. Also, blueprints are a cool way to quickly prototype features or even complete games without writing a single line of code, so I anticipate a lot of titles coming from Unreal to Pc and consoles.

We have been lucky enough to get access to Unreal Engine 4 even in a beta stage, but that proves that a small studio can compete in graphics with the big names on the industry.

Rashid K. Sayed: Is there anything else you want to tell our readers about Skara?

Cesar Ortega: Thanks a lot for the questions and greetings to all the Gaming Bolt fans. Hope to see you all fighting in Skara soon!

When Epic announced that Unreal Engine 4 would be more indie friendly, they weren’t joking. For instance, 8-bit is a small, indie game developer, and they are now ready to unveil their newest game, SKARA: The Blade Remains, a massively multiplayer online versus third person hack and slash game. And this game will be powered by Unreal Engine 4, which means it can deliver high end visuals even with a lower production budget.

“We’re excited to be part of the Microsoft presentation at Ludicious,” commented Pablo Rodriguez, Creative Director at 8-Bit. “Being asked to contribute is a real honour and underlines Microsoft’s commitment to helping indie studios like us thrive in the next gen environment. Being part of the ID@Xbox programme is a huge benefit for the team and we’re stoked to be one of the first indies using Unreal-4 to release on Xbox One.”

The game will be coming to the Xbox One as part of the ID@Xbox program, and will be presented at the Ludicrous Zurich Games Festival this Friday, as part of Microsoft’s showing. Stay tuned for more.

Upcoming fps style hand to hand combat game, Skara: The Blade Remains is due for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC later this year. GamingBolt got in touch with the game’s Commercial Director, Cesar Ortega and asked how the Xbox One version is shaping. Games on Xbox One have struggled to run at 1080p but Cesar confirmed that they are targeting 1080p and 60fps on the Xbox One.

“We hope so, but again, it’s too soon to say. The tests we made are quite encouraging so far,” Cesar said to GamingBolt. He also spoke about the PS4 and Xbox One, and how they took a mere 20 minutes to port the game to latter.

“Both systems are putting a lot of care to making life easier for developers, and that´s a huge improvement from the previous generations of consoles. We were able to port an internal build of Skara for Xbox One in less than 20 minutes, so we are dying to go deep with both systems.”

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Skara: The Blade Remains is an upcoming fps style hand to hand combat game due for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. It is also one of the few titles that will be using the Xbox One SDK update in order to improve the performance.

“The first tests we made were with the June SDK, so our initial impression is that we are extremely happy with that 10% extra GPU :)” Commercial Director, Cesar Ortega said to GamingBolt. “The new SDK gives more resources to developers, and that´s always a good thing. We still haven’t decided where to use that extra 10 percent from the CPU, but probably not in effects. We are creating our effects to run similarly on both systems, no matter if it’s a PC or a console.

But expect great things in our LOD´s system, with a more polished view of the characters and scenarios even from the far.”

Stay tuned for more coverage on Skara: The Blade Remains in the coming days.

Sony’s PlayStation 3 was a tough nut to crack. Early on during its life cycle, several developers faced issues developing games on it as the architecture was wildly different than what was found in gaming PCs or even the Xbox 360 back then. The PlayStation 3 was one of those consoles whose potential was untapped and that was due to complex Cell architecture.

But with the PlayStation 4, Sony opted for an x86 architecture which has apparently made development much easier. Speaking to Skara’s Commercial Director, Cesar Ortega, GamingBolt asked his thoughts on PlayStation 4’s API and how Sony has helped them understand it.

“Sure, the evolution of the API has been huge, and I see Sony´s platform as a great tool for indie devs to get their games published sooner than ever,” Cesar said to GamingBolt. “Sony is being surprisingly helpful so far, I think they understand now how important the indie scene is becoming, so we are glad that they are making life easier for devs, porting a game for PS3 was a nightmare and I guess that´s a lesson Sony learned. Actually we think both Sony and Microsoft are doing a great job with Indies for now!”

Skara are working on Skara: The Blade Remains, a fps style hand to hand combat game due for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. We will have more on the game in the coming days.