You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereGrinding Gear Games Path of Exile 2 launched in early access to an overwhelming success. With an all-time peak of 578,000 concurrent players just on Steam, the games launch hype was a massive surprise for the games developers.Speaking to Eurogamer, game director Jonathan Rogers described the game as 100% a success, but its huge popularity means the studio cant treat the ARPG as a typical early access game.Path of Exile 2 must be treated as a released gameDuring the interview, Rogers explained that huge changes, including nerfing stuff that needed to be nerfed, would cause mass outrage amongst players. Despite the games early access nature, and the experimentation that comes with that, fans are already attached to specific builds that could change.We immediately ran into the situation we would normally expect in the full released game, which is a bunch of players are like, oh youre breaking my build, so we had to realise, okay, we have to treat this like its a released game in this regard and be a bit more careful, the game director said.Whenever youve got players, it derails what your plans are.PATH OF EXILE 2 DIRECTOR JONATHAN ROGERS This has led Grinding Gear Games to treat Path of Exile 2 less like an early access game and more like a live-service title. Experimentation still happens, but its less of a focus. Instead, the focus is simply on pushing the game forwards with a push towards better suiting endgame players who stay even after finishing seasonal content.Whenever youve got players, it derails what your plans are, and it has to, the director said. Its good that it does because it forces you immediately to be responding to what the game needs, which now becomes very obvious because youve got actual players playing it.While player counts have drastically dropped since its huge launch, Rogers is confident the game will skyrocket back up on the games full release. Even with drastically reduced player counts since the early access release, Path of Exile 2 is still doing well, and its clear the team is dedicated to making it the best ARPG possible.Path of Exile 2Platform(s):PCGenre(s):Action RPG, Massively Multiplayer, RPGRelated TopicsPath of Exile 2 Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share