Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
EVO Founders Playing In The Kickstarter Sandbox With Stonehearth
Brothers Tom and Tony Cannon are not household names for many gamers. To the fighting game community though, they are two of the most important people in the genre. If you've ever watched an EVO tournament, you have the Cannons to thank.
The twin brothers have been important contributors as part of the initial wellspring of the e-sports movement. Their work on Shoryuken.com, a fighting game news and community hub, has thrived over the years. The pair are also adept programmers and are responsible for GGPO, network middleware software that is the underpinning of a number of fighting games, including Skullgirls and some titles from Capcom and Namco Bandai.
Now, the two have quit their programming jobs in order to pursue another passion. Yesterday marked the first day of Radiant Entertainment's Stonehearth Kickstarter campaign. You might be surprised to discover that this game is a blend of sandbox, real-time strategy, and RPG rather than a fighter.
Stonehearth is designed with procedurally generated worlds that are populated with event modules. Much like pen and paper tabletop gaming, these modules contain NPCs, quests, and enemies. Unlike the single avatar play of Minecraft, players will be in control of multiple settlers that must be protected and sheltered.
Crafting is a significant piece of the Stonehearth experience, but there is a greater push toward crafted narrative than Minecraft's almost exclusively emergent approach. Players will also be able to build and share their own modules, building designs, and even townsfolk using the tools available.
The Kickstarter runs through May 30, 2013. The goal is $120,000, and the brothers are already a quarter of the way to their target.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
