Highlights
- Hades 2, the first-ever sequel by Supergiant Games, was announced in December 2022 with no release date confirmed yet.
- To ensure success, Hades 2 will have an Early Access period, initially limited to PC but expanding to other consoles after the full launch.
- The Early Access period for the original Hades was critical to its commercial success, selling 700,000 units and surpassing 1 million copies shortly after the full release.
Hades 2 was announced during The Game Awards in December 2022, though no exact release date has been pinpointed yet. Fascinatingly, Hades 2 is breaking tradition for Supergiant Games by being the studio's first-ever sequel. Though there's been plenty of excitement surrounding the game, there is also quite a bit riding on its highly-anticipated shoulders.
To help alleviate this, it was confirmed that Hades 2 will be receiving an Early Access period. Supergiant detailed that this will be initially limited to PC but after the full launch, players should expect availability on other consoles. Though there isn't a lot of information out just yet, the news of Early Access is critical for the success of the game.
Hades 2 Is Under a Lot of Pressure
Because this is Supergiant Games' first attempt at a sequel, the studio has expressed concerns on a FAQ page about if it can "somehow re-capture the sense of wonder and delight of its predecessor". Hades is considered one of the best indie games on Switch, which makes sense seeing as it won Game of the Year in 2021 and collected nine wins at the IGDA Global Industry Game Awards. As such, creating a follow-up to Zagreus' journey is undoubtedly a daunting task.
Unfortunately, the FAQ page has not been updated since December 8, 2022, and some think that Hades 2 needs to say something official soon. A few people thought the developers might reveal a new trailer, or sneak peek, at the game during Summer Games Fest in June but ended up being disappointed. Still, the website does promise a lot to look forward to. One such detail is the Early Access period for the rogue-like dungeon crawler.
While Hades properly debuted in 2019, it originally had a year-long Early Access segment. This was extremely critical in the game's commercial success since it sold 700,000 units before the full release. Due to this, in just a few days after the actual launch, Hades quickly surpassed 1 million copies sold. Supergiant Games tweeted its gratitude in September 2020.
A reveal date for Hades 2's Early Access has not been established so far, but the fact that it's on the way is already a step in the right direction for the sequel. The pre-launch period for the initial Hades was massive, but now that the franchise is more popular it's expected that the second Early Access will be even bigger. Not only does this build the playerbase's excitement, but it also gives people an opportunity to test new mechanics and features while finding bugs. In the 2022 FAQ, the developers wrote "feedback from our player community through the course of development was foundational to the design and vital to the quality of the original game, so we plan to reprise that type of process with Hades 2".
The website claims that the Early Access period will be available "for some time" before the v1.0 launch. If it's anything like its predecessor, then it could last for a year. Hopefully, more news about Hades 2 will come soon since Supergiant pledged further details would come in 2023.
Hades 2 is in development.
