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SpyParty early-access beta costs $15

Sign up now if you're OK to pay.

Chris Hecker's indie game SpyParty is ready to test - but he wants you to pay for the privilege.

So only put your name down for the early-access beta if you're prepared to pay $15.

That sum covers the cost of the finished game when it is released on PC, mind you, so you won't have to fork out again. And hey, it worked for Minecraft.

"I still have a lot of work to do in figuring the details out, so this stuff could change, but $15 is what you should expect when you get your invitation," wrote Hecker on the SpyParty website.

"SpyParty is a long way from the finish line," Hecker added, "so there are going to be lots of bugs, and balance issues, and your favourite feature will get nerfed, and there will be downtime, and resets, and the general misery that accompanies any game in development.

"That said, people seem to really like playing the game even in its current state, so I hope you will too!"

SpyParty focuses on the cerebral aspects of being a spy. You'll need to master deception and perception to both fool other posh party goers of your identity while harvesting information about them.

Chris Hecker used to work with Spore developer Maxis. While there he made headlines when he strode onto a Game Developer Conference stage to call Wii a "piece of sh*t" console that was "two GameCubes duct-taped togeter". Years later he still stands by his infamous public rant.

SpyParty has no release date.

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