Why Early Access?

“Crooked is a tense, dark-comedy game about cheating at cards — and the whole experience hinges on feel. How suspicious is too suspicious? How punishing should an opponent be before it stops being fun? When should a cheat actually get you caught? Those are questions we can guess at internally, but we'd much rather tune them alongside the people playing.

The core game is complete and built to be replayed, but its tension, difficulty curve, and betting economy are exactly the kind of thing a community surfaces far faster than any closed playtest. We're choosing Early Access so that the balance and the content roadmap are shaped by real players, not assumptions.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We plan to be in Early Access for roughly 2 to 3 months. That window gives us time to act on balance and difficulty feedback, ship the content additions we have planned, and complete a localization polish pass before moving to a full release.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“The Early Access version is a complete, playable game. For the full version, we plan to build on it. We plan to:

- Add a dedicated "Story Mode" alongside the current run-based Arcade play, with character-driven arcs and branching choices.
- Expand the content roster — more opponents, cheats, events, and venue atmosphere/music.
- Refine balance and difficulty across the full ladder of opponents based on community feedback.
- Deepen localization with native-speaker review across our supported languages.

These reflect our current intentions and priorities, which we expect to evolve as we gather player feedback.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Crooked is fully playable now — not a prototype or a vertical slice. The Early Access version includes:

- A complete run structure across 5 venues/tiers, from a back-alley game up to a boss confrontation.
- Around 20 cheats, a roster of distinct opponents with their own behavior and personality, plus bosses.
- 5 mechanically distinct playable characters, each with a unique passive.
- The full suspicion, tells, and betting/odds systems that drive the core tension.
- Achievements, multiple save profiles, and a UI localized into 5 languages.

In short: the full game loop is here and stable. Early Access is about expanding and tuning it, not finishing it.
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Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We plan to raise the price modestly when we leave Early Access, to reflect the additional content and features we add along the way. Players who join during Early Access get it at its lowest price.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We plan to develop Crooked in the open with our players. Specifically, we plan to:

- Use the Steam Community Discussions and our community channels to gather feedback on balance, difficulty, and the betting economy.
- Run polls on what to prioritize next — new opponents, cheats, events, or characters.
- Take bug reports and quality-of-life suggestions directly from players and fold them into updates.
- Share our progress and reasoning as the game evolves, so the community can see how their feedback shapes it.”