Divinity: Original Sin Launches On Steam Early Access

Divinity: Original Sin, the old-school RPG that hit it big on Kickstarter, is now playable through Steam Early Access.

One of last year’s more pleasant Kickstarter surprises was Divinity: Original Sin, which went to Kickstarter in search of $400,000 and came away with more than double that amount. That budget has actually slowed the development of the game, since it allowed Larian to do so much more than it had originally planned, but the wait is now over, sort of, as a pre-release version arrived today on Steam Early Access.

Larian warned that as an Early Access game, “it’s still rough around the edges and… certain features are missing.” It also won’t be complete, as the studio intends to hold back the full game world for the final release in order to avoid too many spoilers. The Early Access version is for people who want to support the game’s development or get a taste of what’s in store; those who want a polished experience are advised to wait for the full launch.

The decision to go to Early Access wasn’t one taken lightly, according to Larian chief Swen Vincke, who said in a lengthy blog post that the studio had been going back and forth on the idea for awhile. Vincke wrote that he was surprised when the idea to go to Early Access met with resistance from some fans, but after summing up the various pros and cons he said he really didn’t see the issue.

“Backers got Divinity: Original Sin at 25US$ + extras + plenty of exclusive extras at higher tiers. Our alpha is free to all backers. Given this, why would any backer feel upset if he sees the game on early access at a higher price point?” he wrote. “So I must be overlooking something given the amount of noise the internet is making about Early Access, but I don’t see it. If Kickstarter is ok, why isn’t Early Access ok?”

If you agree with Swen and want to give the Early Access version a look, you may do so right here. Kickstarter backers who supported Divinity: Original Sin at the beta access level will get the Early Access version at no charge.