What can one man do with four years of spare time, a computer, and a fondness for video games? If you’re Hank Newman, you throw yourself into making your very own sandbox fantasy MMORPG called Realm Zero.
Billing itself as “an evolving online world,” Realm Zero’s focus seems to be on a player-created and -driven environment. Player houses and guild castles are a big part of this, as is the economy, agriculture, and crafting. There are also some expected MMO features, such as developing a character’s broad skillset, dungeon diving, and even treasure hunting.
While the game is currently in closed beta testing, Newman has launched his own Kickstarter campaign to raise $80,000 so that he can expand development and even hire others to help complete Realm Zero. “This project was originally started 4 years ago and has only been developed in my free time, totaling roughly 2,000 hours. The reason for the limited development time is due to maintaining a full-time job, in addition to finding time to spend with friends and family,” he said.
