I playedRugby 25during a double-header appointment with Tiebreak atGamescom, with both games being made by Big Ant Studios. Most of my experience with Big Ant thus farhas been through the Cricket games, which I’ve always had a soft spot for. Though they lack the budget (and the technical capabilities that comes with it) ofEAand2K, the games are clearly made with a lot of heart. But what’s most interesting is the unusual decision to take Rugby 25 into early access.
There’s not a lot I can say about Tiebreak that would be of interest. It’s a little better thanTop Spin, and has Djokovic (which Top Spin does not), plus heaps of other players. If you want a tennis game, it’s the one I’d recommend based on my brief time with it andmy general disappointment with Top Spin. But there’s not a lot else I feel I can say about it from the demo. Rugby 25, though, is a little more interesting.
Sports Games Are Not Usually Suited To Early Access
I’m not coming to this as a rugby fan, either. Of the two sports, I prefer tennis, and I prefer the aforementioned cricket over both (as well as football/soccer where EA excels, and basketball where 2K dominates). In fact, I wouldn’t have been interested in Rugby 25 at all if not for its bumpy journey to release and my curiosity around its entering early access.
Rugby 25 was once named Rugby 24, but it took so long to develop that the year had to be bumped up. The last rugby game was Rugby 22, but many fans will tell you the last great one was Rugby 08, so I understand the studio’s desire to get this one perfect, even if it means a delay. But I also understand that rugby fans are used to seeing football, American football, basketball, and cricket get yearly editions, and are wondering why they can’t have the same thing.
The actual last great rugby game was rugby sevens in Mario & Sonic At The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Does early access fix that? I’m not sure it does. It feels like this is a stopgap offered to give fans something after the delay, rather than an intentional developmental choice. It was difficult to judge the gameplay quality from my brief time with Rugby 25 - rugby is a sport that’s hard to gamify, with lots of stop-start action and dozens of rules and laws. It’s a far cry from the relative simplicity of football or basketball, the kings of the simulated sports genre. However,Maddenhas become a behemoth despite similar caveats, andBig Ant Studios managed to make the Cricket series work, so it’s possible. Part of it may be down to getting to grips with it, but Rugby 25 felt a little more frenetic than my ideal version of the game would be.
Time Will Tell Whether Rugby 25’s Experiment Works
Still, it’s in early access. You forgive that, right? Except I’m not sure ‘you’ do, if all you play is sports games. I’ve been playingFIFA(nowEA Sports FC) since FIFA 98, and have dabbled in dozens of games from series like - deep breath now - Madden, NBA 2K, NBA Jam, FIFA Street, Freekstyle, Tony Hawk’s, NBA Street, Wii Sports, Cricket, Matt Hoffman’s, Brian Lara, Ring Fit, The Show, Top Spin, NBA Jam, Creed, Wii Fit, SSX, Big Beach Sports, Handball, Fitness Boxing, Olympics (both real and Mario & Sonic), and dozens more sports titles, so I have respect for the genre. But most sports game players are outsiders to gaming culture, who mostly play casually in the sport(s) of their choice and maybe a shooter. As is clear from some early reviews, these people don’t fully understand what early access is.
When you play Hades 2 and you see placeholder art, you understand that this is how early access works. It ain’t your first rodeo. But Rugby 25 players are being bucked off the bronco, complaining about the limited roster of teams and stiff animations. There’s a symbiotic relationship to being in early access - players get to play the game early and actively shape development, and devs get to crowdsource playtesting and learn from the community. But that only works if both sides understand the deal being struck. I get the sense that the fans do not, and perhaps the studio is keen to buy time by putting out a version of the game while the full version is finetuned, rather than using early access as a tool.
It doesn’t help that most sports games have the majority of their player bases on consoles, and Rugby 25’s early access period is PC only. Time will tell how helpful the experiment is, and what Rugby 25 comes out the other end looking like. But at the moment, Rugby 25 is an unfinished game that fans seem to believe is finished, and after the delay already cast a cloud over the game, it’s fair to say this one is currently behind at half-time.
Rugby 25
WHERE TO PLAY
Welcome to the ultimate rugby video game experience, Rugby 25! From club sides through to the world’s biggest international tournaments, every detail has been meticulously crafted to bring the excitement and intensity of the sport to your hands.
