Week 9 | Course 4

Introduction

This week and next handle the specific administrative and planning work Valve requires, and that honest indie practice rewards, before an Early Access title can actually go live.

Lesson breakdown

Lesson 1: Defining Early Access Scope Versus Full-Release Scope - Write down what's finished and playable now versus what's genuinely planned for during Early Access.
Lesson 2: Writing a Public Roadmap - Communicate direction and honest expectations using general terms, not specific dates or features.
Lesson 3: Completing the Early Access Q&A - Finalize your Course 3 draft answers and submit them through Steamworks for Valve's review.
Lesson 4: Early Access Branding Requirements - Confirm any third-party key-distribution pages carry clear Early Access branding.
Lesson 5: Setting Internal Expectations for the Early Access Period - Sketch a loose internal update-cadence plan for after launch.

Try this now

Write down what's finished and playable now versus what's genuinely planned for during Early Access.
Finalize your Course 3 draft answers and submit them through Steamworks for Valve's review.
Sketch a loose internal update-cadence plan for after launch.

How this week works

This week and next handle the specific administrative and planning work Valve requires, and that honest indie practice rewards, before an Early Access title can actually go live.

Video segment plan

Use one focused segment per part, then pause to implement and validate before continuing.

Implementation evidence

Keep short notes, screenshots, and links to what you published so this week's work is reusable in later polish passes.

Interactive lesson parts (6-10 min each)

Part 1: Defining Early Access Scope Versus Full-Release Scope

Watch Build Check

6 min Part video

Video part 1: Defining Early Access Scope Versus Full-Release Scope

Complete the focused task for this part before moving on.

Write down what's finished and playable now versus what's genuinely planned for during Early Access.

Part 2: Writing a Public Roadmap

Watch Build Check

7 min Part video

Video part 2: Writing a Public Roadmap

Apply and validate this technique in your project artifact.

Communicate direction and honest expectations using general terms, not specific dates or features.

Part 3: Completing the Early Access Q&A

Watch Build Check

7 min Part video

Video part 3: Completing the Early Access Q&A

Cross-check this part against your actual store page and channels.

Finalize your Course 3 draft answers and submit them through Steamworks for Valve's review.

Part 4: Early Access Branding Requirements

Watch Build Check

8 min Part video

Video part 4: Early Access Branding Requirements

Draft or build the concrete piece this part asks for.

Confirm any third-party key-distribution pages carry clear Early Access branding.

Part 5: Setting Internal Expectations for the Early Access Period

Watch Build Check

9 min Part video

Video part 5: Setting Internal Expectations for the Early Access Period

Finish with a validation step and one clear next action.

Sketch a loose internal update-cadence plan for after launch.

Hands-on milestone

Documented finished-now versus planned-for-Early-Access scope lists
A published public roadmap using general, honest direction statements
A finalized and submitted Early Access Q&A
Confirmed Early Access branding awareness across any existing key distribution
A sketched internal post-launch update-cadence plan

Weekly checkpoint

Use this checkpoint marker to confirm this week's deliverables are actually done, not just planned.

Checkpoint checklist Week 9

# Checkpoint for Week 9: Early Access Scope, Roadmap, and the Q&A
[ ] Documented finished-now versus planned-for-Early-Access scope lists
[ ] A published public roadmap using general, honest direction statements
[ ] A finalized and submitted Early Access Q&A
[ ] Confirmed Early Access branding awareness across any existing key distribution