[2020] What is the difference in "Early Release" and an "Incomplete Game"?

Originally posted by Bremer Dan Gorst: What is the difference between "Early Release" and a game that clearly isn't complete but is released anyway? Both come out before they should. Both are far from the final product. Both are "improved" on as time moves on.

What is to prevent a dev from taking their ♥♥♥♥♥♥, incomplete project, and releasing it under the guise of "early access", while SLOWLY making minor updates to the game? With Bannerlord, it feels like we got 20% of a game on release and now we're at about 50% 9 months later. Baldurs' Gate 3 released their "early access" allowing characters to literally only play one act and get to level 4 max but the game still cost $60.

Does no one realize what a slipperly slope it is to reward developers for work they "promise" to complete at a later date? Often times, it's not even up to the developers. They ALL have bosses and execs who I GUARANTEE care more about the bottom line than the quality of their game and the longevity of the gaming industry.

Our company has a long history with early access, even helping to pioneer this form of release with our first title, Mount & Blade.

You only need to look at our history to see that we have a track record of releasing games early and continuing to work on them after release, without dropping or abandoning these projects.

If you are uncomfortable with this, we strongly recommend that you don't buy the game just yet. Please wait until the full release, or even after that, if you want to experience everything that the game has to offer.