Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the highly anticipated PC game, has sparked controversy among early access buyers after it was revealed that the game's premium edition, launching today, will not include full ray tracing. Instead, the feature will be added in a patch on December 9th, when the game launches for the general public.

This news may come as a disappointment to those who have paid a premium to play the game early, with the Premium Edition costing $99.99, a $30 increase over the standard edition's $69.99 price tag. The lack of full ray tracing in the early access period has raised questions about the value proposition for early adopters.

According to Nvidia, the game's developer, MachineGames, will add full ray tracing, including shadows, reflections, and global illumination, on December 9th. Additionally, DLSS Ray Reconstruction is expected to arrive soon, although no specific date has been provided.

MachineGames' CTO, Jim Kjellin, explained that the game's engine, MOTOR, uses hardware ray tracing to calculate global illumination, a technique used to light the environment and characters. This requires compatible GPU hardware, even at minimum specs, which may contribute to the game's hefty PC system requirements.

The game's PC specs are already notable for their demands, with GPU hardware ray tracing required even at the minimum level. This has led some to question whether the early access period's lack of full ray tracing is a significant omission, given the premium price point.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will also be available on Xbox Series X/S and is set to launch on PS5 in spring 2025. The game's developer has not provided a reason for the delayed addition of full ray tracing, leaving some to wonder if this decision will impact the game's overall reception.

As the gaming industry continues to push the boundaries of graphical fidelity, the absence of full ray tracing in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's early access period may be seen as a missed opportunity. However, with the feature set to arrive soon, it remains to be seen how this decision will impact the game's overall success.