Towerborne devs explain why early access is coming to Steam first over Xbox

The Towerborne devs have shared their reasoning as to why the Xbox exclusive will be coming to Steam Early Access before Xbox Game Preview.

Heidi Nicholas

Published 23 Aug 2024

Gamescom has already brought us the news that we'll need to wait a bit longer for the Towerborne achievements. Towerborne was set to be one of the next upcoming Xbox exclusives but has now confirmed a "phased" release plan where it'll come to Steam Early Access, then Xbox Game Preview, then a full free-to-play launch. Stoic has now shared its thoughts as to the decision to bring Towerborne to Steam Early Access first and then Xbox Game Preview.

Towerborne devs discuss their "phased" release plan

"Getting the game into players’ hands is super important to us," Stoic CEO and president Trisha Stouffer said during an Xbox Gamescom livestream. "We want to have that discussion with the community and have them be a part of the game building. It’s what Stoic has always done, from our very first game. And so, getting there, being able to have that, have the input and take it in, Steam just happens to do that well for us. We want to make sure we are fully prepared for when we come to game preview next year, and have an expansive number of players coming in when we’re truly ready for them. We don’t want to disappoint."

Stouffer also confirms that Towerborne will come to Xbox Game Preview next year, while the Steam Early Access launch is set for September 10.

This echoes the comments made after Towerborne first shared its new release plan, when the Xbox announcement told us that "Xbox, PC, and Xbox Game Pass players will immediately feel the benefit of the refinement Towerborne will undergo during the Early Access period and beyond."

Another game which recently confirmed its Xbox Game Preview plans was Voidtrain, which comes to Xbox Game Preview this fall.

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Written by Heidi Nicholas

Heidi tends to lean towards indie games, RPGs, and open-world games on Xbox, and when not playing Disney Dreamlight Valley, happily installs every new wholesome game that appears on Xbox Game Pass, before diving back into favorites like The Witcher 3. She's looking forward to Age of Mythology Retold, Everwild, Fable, and Avowed on the Xbox horizon. Heidi graduated with an MA in English Literature before joining the TrueAchievements team.