Release dates 2.0 is here!
Introducing a new and revamped Released Date experience!
As video games continue to evolve and expand, keeping track of release dates and various development stages can become a daunting task. In 2022 steam alone had over 11.000 games released. Adding to this the fact that not all releases are created equal. Being able to differentiate between early access, beta, and full releases is essential in this ever changing landscape. That’s why we are excited to announce our latest feature — the ability to track video game release dates based on their development stages.
Starting today all users have access to a fully revamped Release Date contribution section on game edits, allowing not only the addition of a new status field, but also an improved UX based on platforms (tl;dr, it’s easier to contribute release dates now ;)
The other important addition with this feature is our new ‘Status’ field. With it we are now able to track multiple release dates per platform, therefore recording a game’s entire release chronology.
Currently we support the following status:
- Alpha
- Beta
- Canceled
- Early-Access
- Full release
- Offline
In the digital age, games can easily slip into oblivion by being canceled, or delisted from online stores. We think it is of high importance to track this knowledge shift so they are not forgotten. Besides, there is a lot of value in knowing how a game evolves over time from a quality aspect, in the case of early access or beta for example.
With this new update, you can easily see whether a game is in early access, beta, or has reached its full release stage. On IGDB we consider a game being playable when it is widely accessible to users, therefore we allow you to rate, review, and add time to beat on the the following release status: Early-Access, Full release, ‘none’ (if it has no status)
Release date status is now of course available directly via our API, allowing you to power your owner product with more granularity around releases.
Happy gaming!
