The studio behind trippy indie game We Happy Few, Compulsion, has opened up about how fan feedback and releasing into Early Access shaped it.

Speaking to Engadget, studio founder Guillaume Provost said that the launch into Early Access last July 2016 helped the studio grow in size, with its headcount rising from seven to 40.

"It's a testament to how much the game and team has grown that Compulsion now spends more money every single month developing We Happy Few than what our entire Kickstarter campaign earned [CA$ 334,754],” Provost said.

The developer also said that the reaction to the game from fans eventually changed the direction the project went in. Originally set to be a procedurally generated release, fans actually gravitated more towards the more story-focused elements of the game.

"Talk about a reality check. What the public and the press were telling us they loved about our game wasn't anything like the procedural, story-light, rogue-like survival game we were creating at all," Provost said.

"It was also a bit daunting. Getting too much hype is a good problem to have, but it can also backfire, and after watching the launch of No Man's Sky that year, we carefully back-pedalled some of the hype and managed expectations with regards to the game."