Corepunk's Early Access Begins On November 26th, But It Won't Be On Steam Which Is Raising Red Flags For Some

Some of us here at MMOBomb have been watching Corepunk rather closely. The MMORPG/MOBA seems to be an interesting mashup and it's made a number of our "lists" throughout the last year or so. Seeing the announcement that early access is confirmed for November 26th is great news, but there's a few things that seem odd about the announcement.

First, if you're new to Corepunk, here's a few details about the game itself. Corepunk is an MMO that utilizes an isometric MOBA camera and familiar MOBA controls. Early access will see six character classes, 15 world bosses, three biomes (forest, swamps, steppes), three voiced story episodes, 15 world bosses, PvE and PvP, and character customization both cosmetically and through talent progression.

That said, the early access will not be on Steam. You can only gain access through the game's official launch and that requires the purchase of a founder's pack. There are four available, with the "Standard" package priced at $36. Other packages go up in price and include different bonus items, usually a different mount.

Not being on Steam is already being seen by some gamers as a "red flag" as it keeps the game from being hit with early reviews. (To be fair, it also saves on paying Steam their cut of sales.) Honestly, it also makes the game harder to find for potential new players. Current alpha testers also seem a bit concerned on social media (and in the comments to the trailer below) that it doesn't seem like much is being added from their previous testing.

There's also these somewhat nebulous "Legal Notices" below the founder pack pages:

• Early access means the game is still in development, but is playable, potentially containing bugs, defects, and possible shutdowns for days or weeks.
• The key will work for Early Access, and the full game release of Corepunk in the version 'Light Bless the King,' but it will not grant access to future expansions of the game.
• Early Access is planned for November 26, 2024, but this date can change.
• Early Access may be with permanent (24/7) or scheduled access. You will be informed about it at the stage of Early Access.
• The Preorder fee is a prepayment for Early Access. After you purchase the Preorder, you will not need to pay more for Early Access and the released COREPUNK GAME in the version 'Light Bless the King.'
• Early Access will be announced on our webpage. Within 14 days, you must accept the terms of Early Access or cancel your Preorder. Failure to do so forfeits your right to withdraw (cancel) from the Preorder and get a refund.

The team at Artificial Core really wants players to know this game is still in development, which is fine. However, knowing that alpha is still rolling, this means "early access" purchasers are literally paying to alpha and beta test Corepunk. Expect bugs.

It's also a little concerning that you are buying in without even being sure the game is going to be up all the time according to the 4th point above. Having a specific callout for possibly being down for "weeks" is also a bit of a head scratcher.

There's also mention of "Seasons" in the "What to Expect" section on the game's site, but whether that's just the team's word for breaking up the story content or if that's something the team plans to monetize in the way we normally think of "seasons" is a bit confusing, too.

I'll be watching Corepunk's early access when it kicks off, but I don't know if I'll be buying a pack right away. I'm interested, but I want to see it first at this point. Full launch is slated for sometime before the end of 2025.

Will you be picking up a founder's pack?