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[Updated] Open World Medieval RPG Kickstarted To Prove Investor Viability
[Update] Kingdom Come: Deliverance has blown past its Kickstarter goal in three days.
On the game's Kickstarter page, donations to the project, which hopes to secure outside investors, currently stand at over $311,000 £ (the equivalent of over $517,000 U.S. dollars).
This Kickstarter was designed to show the public's interest in Kingdom Come, and it looks to be successful so far.
[Original Story]
In 2011, Mafia director and design lead Dan Vávra struck out on his own and founded Warhorse studios. Since then, he’s been assembling a team with credits on Crysis 3, ArmA, Operation Flashpoint, the UFO trilogy, Forza Horizon, and more. The studio is working on an ambitious open-world RPG, and it has taken the concept to Kickstarter.
What makes this different than most other crowdfunding attempts is that Warhorse isn’t expecting to fund Kingdom Come: Deliverance exclusively from the community. Instead, the $500,000 support it hopes to rally will be served up to an investor as proof of viability.
Warhorse currently has seed money in the amount of $1.5 million from someone outside the game industry. In order to keep the money flowing, the studio needs to evidence that there is enough interest in the game.
The concept of an open world RPG, especially in a medieval setting, isn’t new. Warhorse is differentiating Kingdom Come by dropping the fantasy aspects and focusing on authentic combat. The title will run on CryEngine 3 and is slated for PC, Mac, and Linux. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions are planned providing approval from the platform holders.
[Source: Kickstarter]
Our Take
At first glance, the $500,000 for this project is absurdly low. Factoring in an investor ready and able to see the project through to completion at a budget compatible with the vision makes this Kickstarter effort more compelling.
This type of hybrid approach may be the next step in the Kickstarter evolution, allowing smaller studios to develop games beyond the confines of crowdfunding while still leveraging the interest of the community. I’ll be watching this project with interest through its campaign and, should it be funded, into the next phase of development.
As with all Kickstarter projects, there is risk in funding. You also won’t be seeing a return for almost two years. Before backing, consider all the factors.
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