I am one to believe (being an old timer as well) early access is used in no small part as a marketing barometer for any particular game.
If strong interest is shown it can alter development for the positive just as weak interest can do the opposite.
Personally I think the biggest 'hazard' of early access, and one I have experienced with other games, is that playing pieces of a game as it is developed can diminish some of the 'first time play through' fun that comes with playing a completed game.