This week in MMO crowfunding was… well, it was a big week for gaming in general, and Kickstarted games rose to the challenge! In fact, we could barely pump out the news fast enough. Here’s what went on this week:
- Camelot Unchained continued work on “big ticket” development issues, like animation and effects and abilities for bots.
- Mekria Online, which we introduced only last week, has already canceled its Kickstarter; the studio vows to return with more to show players next round.
- Ashes of Creation released its first gameplay video, a “movie-like” version that’ll see a UI-laden edition next week.
- Gloria Victis introduced its new Glory system as well as the ability to burn down ALL THE THINGS. Seriously.
- TUG’s latest Kickstarter update tells backers that the team is working on gameplay prototyping and touted its recent investor presentation.
- Ship of Heroes previewed one of its signature heroes, Dr. Ellen Strikewell.
- Shards Online is prepping for its Steam launch with an impending wipe and NDA drop.
- Valiance Online posted four new videos of the alpha client! We’ve tucked one down below.
- Crowfall canceled its weekend playtest over studio concerns that the current version of the build isn’t up to snuff.
- Grim Dawn rolled out a massive new patch.
- and Shroud of the Avatar rounds out my super-long list with a post-mortem Q&A — video and text versions — on its latest release.
I told you it was busy, and there’s more down below! Read on for more on what’s up with MMO crowdfunding over the last few weeks and the regular roundup of all the crowdfunded MMOs we’ve got our eye on.
Ashes of Creation
Recent MMO crowdfunding news
Shards Online plans wipe, drops NDA ahead of impending Steam launch - Shards Online's latest newsletter is homing in on the game's Steam launch. The game hit always-on alpha back in January, but now it's eyeing plans for backer head-start on Steam…
Valiance Online devs take the alpha client out for a test drive - Early access is for chumps. If you really want to be in on the ground floor, you need to land yourself a spot on the development team so that you…
Star Citizen’s Around the Verse on the ship pipeline and ‘dead body tech’ - This week's Star Citizen Around the Verse episode heralds the game's 2.6.1 update, which has gone live for the hand-picked special test crew of the Evocati. Following a brief check-in…
City of Titans offers up some meaty setting fiction - The police in City of Titans have a rough road to walk. They're dealing with organized crime and the usual thousand vices and harms that a bunch of human beings…
Mekria Online cancels its $110K Kickstarter - Just a week and a half ago, we told you all about Mekria Online, a brand-new in-development MMORPG focused on both PvE and PvP. The team behind it, Infinity Online,…
Chronicles of Elyria might fatten up your character - Chronicles of Elyria is nothing if not bursting with interesting little ideas that you don't often see in other MMOs. One of these, apparently, is that your in-game activities can…
Crowfall demonstrates the animations of the Templar - Crowfall's Templar is going to smash in your face if you cross her. She's got divine power, she's got a two-handed sword, and she's not about to allow anyone to…
Ashes of Creation demos new dungeon video, won’t ‘sacrifice aesthetics for performance’ - Curious what Ashes of Creation looks like in action? The team released its first gameplay video last night, showing a mage exploring an icy dungeon with both outdoor and indoor…
AdventureQuest 3D previews the dragon-infested Firefields - AdventureQuest 3D's newest region should be arriving any day now, giving level 15 players a chance to test their mettle against dragons in their native environment. The Dragons of Ashfall, Part…
Crowfall examines the ins and outs of crafting in its latest Q&A video - The latest community Q&A video for Crowfall is out, and it covers a lot of the details for the game's crafting mechanics. For example, despite appearances and the current test…
Edengrad adds in more reactive NPC mechanics - Even in a post-apocalyptic setting like Edengrad, it's important for NPCs to fill out the world and make it feel more alive. However, that also involves a fine balancing act…
Albion Online is revamping all of its cities for the Galahad patch - Still keeping an eye on PvP sandbox Albion Online? Sandbox Interactive Game Director Robin Henkys posted a new dev recap video this week that teases the core of the upcoming…
Video games have a bad year on Kickstarter - Polygon has an interesting piece up this week covering trends in crowdfunding projects... and the news isn't that great for video games. According to the article, the total income from…
Shroud of the Avatar tinkers with new areas and PvP zones - With Release 38 now behind them, the Shroud of the Avatar devs have turned their attention to 39 and 40. Portalarium's latest newsletter covers several zones being revamped in the…
PvP sandbox Albion Online is planning instanced PvE dungeons - If you're wondering how ostensibly PvP MMOs are finding ways to implement PvE in 2017, look no further than Albion Online. Over the weekend, Sandbox Interactive put out a dev…
Camelot Unchained and the critical importance of video game character hands - Camelot Unchained's latest development blog sees the team hard at work on animations, the patcher merge, the terrain editor, bots (the good kind), hair research (!), armor, the dark forest…
Valiance Online
Campaigns and crowdfunded MMOs we’re watching
3001SQ (Société des Mondes Virtuels) – Kickstarter unsuccessful. Work continues.
AdventureQuest 3D (Artix Entertainment) – Raised 368k; beta began Oct 2016.
Antraxx (Team Antraxx) – Kickstarter canceled.
Ascent: The Space Game (Fluffy Kitten Studios) – Successful KS. Fully launched 2016.
Camelot Unchained (City State) – Kickstarter successful; open donations/packages.
Caribbean Conquest (Invenio) – First KS canceled, second ends March 7.
Contested Space (Zon)
Crowfall (ArtCraft) – Kickstarter win, open packages, Indiegogo crowdfunding ongoing.
Chronicles of Elyria (Soulbound) – Kickstarter successful, open packages.
Citadel of Sorcery (MMO Magic, Inc.) –Â Open donations.
City of Titans (Missing Worlds Media) – Successful KS; launch planned for fall 2018.
Descent Underground (Descendent Studios) – Successful KS.
Divergence Online (Stained Glass Llama)Â –Â Three campaigns; now in KS early access.
Dogma: Eternal Night (Prelude Games Factory): Kickstarter over, donor preorder packs.
Dragon of Legends (Thrive Games) – Successful Kickstarter.
Dual Universe (Novaquark) – Kickstarter funded, now has donor platform.
Eco (Strange Loop Games) – Funded, now in alpha.
Edengrad (Huckleberry Games) – Kickstarter funded; now in pre-alpha.
Elite: Dangerous (Frontier Developments) – Funded and launched.
Empyrion Online (Eleon) – Kickstarter canceled; launched on Steam early access.
Epic Space (EpicSpace.net)
Ever, Jane (3 Turn Productions) – Now in open beta.
Gloria Victis (Black Eye Games) – Open donations, no end date; in early access.
Greed Monger (Greed Monger) – Abandoned, multiple times now.
Grim Dawn (Crate Entertainment) – Funded and launched.
Guns of Icarus (Muse) – Funded and launched.
Hero’s Song (Pixelmage) –Â KS canceled; Indiegogo. Canceled w/ refunds.
Infinity: Battlescape (I-Novae Studios)
HEX (HEX Entertainment) –Â Funded and launched.
Life is Feudal (Bitbox): Indiegogo ended.
LUX (Chimera) – Kickstarter canceled.
Maestros of the Anthymn (String Theory) – Kickstarter canceled.
Mekria (Infinity Online Studios) – Kickstarter canceled.
Midair (Archetype Studios) – Kickstarter successful.
Nebula Online (Mizar Games) Kickstarter canceled; launched in November.
Neo’s Land (NeoJac Entertainment) –Â Open donations, no end date.
Novus AEterno (Taitale Studios)
Overpower (Hydrant Games) –Â Kickstarter unfunded; heading to early access.
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen (Visionary Realms) –Â Open donations, no end date.
Pathfinder Online (GoblinWorks) – Doom, mostly.
Planet Nomads (Craneballs) – Successful Kickstarter.
Pixel Starships (SavySoda)
Project Gorgon (Elder Game) – Kickstarted in three tries + Indiegogo. In alpha.
Pumpkin Online (Monique) – Downgrading from MMORPG.
The Exiled (Fairytale Distillery) – fka Das Tal. Steam early access February 2017.
The Realm: Reawakened (Stephen Nichols) – Ongoing GoFundMe.
The Repopulation (Idea Fabrik) –Â Kickstarted twice by A&B. Relaunch Q1 2017.
ROKH (Darewise) – Kickstarter canceled; early access delayed to 2017.
RUiN (Tarhead Studio) – Kickstarter ends March 9.
The Stomping Land (Alex Fundora) – Abandoned.
Sacrament (Ferocity Unbound) – Kickstarter failed; Patreon ongoing.
Shadow’s Kiss (Clockwork Throne) – Ongoing Patreon.
Shards Online (Citadel Studios) – Kickstarted. Currently in alpha.
Shroud of the Avatar (Portalarium) – Successful KS. Soft launch July 2016.
Star Citizen (Cloud Imperium) – Ongoing donations/packages.
TUG (Nerd Kingdom) – In middle of year-long revamp after funding surge.
Vigor Roads (NeuronHaze) – Kickstarter unsuccessful; early access planned for 2017.
