Early Access for Content Creators Ruins the Anticipation for New Games

Hey everyone, I wanted to share my thoughts on the topic of early access for content creators, especially with regards to the upcoming Diablo IV expansion "Vessel of Hatred." It seems like a lot of YouTubers and streamers have already gotten access and are now uploading videos about the new class and the new content.

Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand the reasoning behind it from a marketing perspective. For Blizzard and the game, it’s a great way to generate hype and attention early on. But personally, I feel like it takes away a lot of the anticipation.

It used to be that we all explored new content at the same time, experiencing that "discovery" as a community. Now, it feels like everything has been laid out for us before we even have the chance to dive in ourselves. Sure, I could avoid the videos, but with algorithms and recommendations, you often stumble upon them anyway. This just makes the expansion lose some of its appeal for me, as many surprises have already been spoiled.

EDIT: I haven't watched any videos so far because I've been disciplined about it. However, the flood of videos and thumbnails makes it nearly impossible to stay uninformed. Many creators use clickbait, which often reveals more than intended, making it hard to avoid spoilers even if I don't want to watch.

Does anyone else feel the same? I miss the days of diving into something new together with everyone else, without the "big" content creators having already dissected everything in advance.