This week in MMO crowdfunding, Camelot Unchained’s weekly progress report is on the shorter side (for CSE) given that the game’s monthly newsletter just went out, but there are some interesting tidbits within, including the fact that the studio is considering uprooting the game’s hosting services and migrating elsewhere. The team’s also been working on battlegrounds and warbands, status effects, animations, female clothing, tech stuff, and boats.
In great news for anybody still lamenting World of Darkness, victory seems assured for vampire MMORPG Shadow’s Kiss, whose Kickstarter should conclude on Tuesday with more than double its ask.
Meanwhile, Elite Dangerous patched its patch, Shroud of the Avatar is hosting a Movember team, Valiance Online teased female toons, Project Gorgon is planning its next update early tomorrow morning, we spoke to Mark Jacobs about developer wages, Ship of Heroes prepped its combat alpha, and Star Citizen drove eyebrows to the sky by announcing the pre-sale of land claims in space.
Read on for more on what’s up with MMO crowdfunding over the last couple of weeks and the regular roundup of all the crowdfunded MMOs we’re following.
Camelot Unchained
Recent MMO crowdfunding news
Star Citizen’s monthly studio report covers alpha 3.0 work, eyes Squadron 42 - What's Cloud Imperium been up to the last month? Oh nothing much, just frantically trying to prepare Star Citizen's alpha 3.0 to debut ahead of the holidays - that's the…
Shadow’s Kiss devs interview vampires as their Kickstarter nears finish line - Even though it's looking more like Christmas than Halloween around these parts, Shadow's Kiss is taking its Kickstarter all the way to the bank. The blood bank. The indie vampire…
DayZ finally makes hard plans to leave early access and launch (beta) next year - Remember like 50 million years ago when DayZ was young, Dean Hall was at the top of everybody's interview list, and nobody realized the survival sandbox genre was about to…
City of Titans shares details on creating its mission lines - There's already a lot of lore floating around for City of Heroes-inspired indie MMORPGÂ City of Titans, but all of the lore in the world doesn't mean much if you never…
Camelot Unchained hypes Saturday Night Sieges, promises big announcements next month - Settle in, folks, because it's Camelot Unchained monthly newsletter day -- and that means plenty of good reading for those excited about this RvR title. One of the big topics…
Crowfall takes a skittering look at spiders - If you're the sort of person who runs screaming from a room and vows to burn the whole house down over the barest glimpse of an arachnid, you are not…
Chronicles of Elyria instigates a popularity contest over the last throne - Just a friendly reminder that Chronicles of Elyria is still trying to raffle off one of its few remaining in-game thrones to the most popular fan who can get everyone…
Are rank-and-file devs benefiting from MMO publisher ‘money-grabs’? Camelot Unchained’s Mark Jacobs weighs in - Last week, Massively OP's Eliot Lefebvre wrote a (fantastic) Soapbox editorial arguing that Star Wars Battlefront II (and its concomitant monetization dust-up) is merely a symptom of the "long tail"…
Crowfall retires pledge packages in favor of pre-orders, partners with AbleGamers - Before we get to talking about ways Crowfall is trying to make money, here is something it's giving away for free: four brand-new Patch 5.3 wallpapers. Treat yourself today. ArtCraft…
Ship of Heroes readies combat alpha, shows off a massive raid test - It's a hundred identical superheroes in hot pants facing off against a giant robot, and that robot does not stand a chance. The following video may look a little odd,…
The Repopulation considers closing its EU server, adding hardcore server as 10.2 patch rolls out to testers - Idea Fabrik has a new forum post up on the state of sandbox MMO The Repopulation heralding the testing of update 10.2. There's downside, however, as the studio says it…
Saga of Lucimia secures independent funding to hire contractors - Fiercely independent and minimap-free Saga of Lucimia is publicly sticking to its guns in an attempt to fund and make this fantasy MMORPG, eschewing contracts with publishers who wanted the…
Albion Online’s next update, Kay, launches next week with tons of fresh PvP content - This summer's sole indie sandbox MMO launch, Albion Online, is rolling out its second post-launch update. It's called Kay. As in Sir Kay, one of the Knights of the Round…
Another year passes and Jeremy Soule’s Kickstarter album is still unreleased - How about this for a new November tradition at Massively OP: Let's get together at this time every year to see if video game composer Jeremy Soule is ever going…
Move over, pixel ships: Star Citizen is now selling pixel land claims - The Star Citizen community was once again rocked yesterday by the addition of new pixelstuff to buy ahead of launch, this time in the form of land claim licenses. Running…
Albion Online brings in the battle mounts - Albion Online PvP Game Designer Michael Schwahn jumped into the dev talk this week to discuss the new battle mounts that have come to the game, such as the command…
Shroud of the Avatar saves the wetlands - Wetlands are an important part of the ecosystem, and not just because they are chock-full of stinging insects, biting snakes, and muddy bogs. They also are important quest locations in…
Saga of Lucimia dev argues that minimaps destroy MMORPG immersion - Saga of Lucimia has made a name for itself during its long development as a hardcore old-school indie MMO with a focus on grouping (there's no solo content at all),…
ECO’s player housing is more beneficial than you think - In some online games, player housing is mostly a way to show off personal creativity and set up a space of your own. In ECO, however, it will be much…
Albion Online begins testing iOS client - Even with its launch on PCs earlier this year, Albion Online's true potential as a cross-platform MMORPG has yet to be fulfilled. The next crucial step in this effort? Getting…
Star Citizen opens up alpha 3.0 on the PTU to a ton of new testers - This week's Star Citizen Around the Verse doesn't pull any punches: Indeed, it heralds the expansion of 3.0 testing to several more tiers of backers and testers, meaning you should…
Camelot Unchained gives thanks for you - Due to the truncated holiday week, the Camelot Unchained team didn't have as much time to get work done. Still, there was progress made on several fronts, according to the…
Shroud of the Avatar elaborates on Release 48 changes - If you missed it, Shroud of the Avatar pushed out its November update pretty early this month due to the Thanksgiving holiday (an action that the team will repeat next…
Crowfall takes players on a journey… to squash bugs - The latest Crowfall Q&A video changes tack about halfway through. For the first half, lead designer Thomas Blair and executive producer Gordon Walton helpfully discuss various player questions like how…
Pantheon shows off the process of making a city with its latest video - If you wanted to catch the newest Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen stream live, we're sorry to inform you that you're too late. It already happened. But luckily, you can…
Ship of Heroes resurrects the crowd controller playstyle - Do you miss playing your Controller in City of Heroes? One of that game's spiritual successors wants to resurrect the concept of a mez-happy superhero who throws down crowd control…
City of Titans vows ‘no lockboxes’ for its business model - You might have missed the riots in the streets over lockboxes these past few months, but we assure you, the controversy is very real. One game where this won't be…
Chronicles of Elyria lays out one of its servers’ history in an animated video - If your favorite part of the Lord of the Rings films was the exposition-heavy introduction, then Chronicles of Elyria has a treat for you this week. Soulbound Studio put out…
Saga of Lucimia says it’s turned down two publishers to avoid going free-to-play - It's a good time to pile on predatory cash-shop models, especially if you've got a better one, and in-development hardcore MMORPG sandbox Saga of Lucimia is doing just that. While citing…
Ship of Heroes
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.
Albion Online (Sandbox) – Launched July 2017.
Antraxx (Team Antraxx) – Kickstarter canceled.
Ascent: The Space Game (Fluffy Kitten Studios) – Successful KS. Fully launched 2016.
Ashes of Creation (Intrepid Studios) – Successful KS.
Broke Protocol (Cylinder) – Unsuccessful KS. In free early access.
Camelot Unchained (City State) – Kickstarter successful; open donations/packages.
Caribbean Conquest (Invenio) – First KS canceled, second ended unsuccessfully.
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. Pre-alpha.
Eco (Strange Loop Games) – Funded, now in alpha.
Edengrad (Huckleberry Games) – Kickstarter funded; in early access.
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.
Global Adventures (SubaGames) – Kickstarter funded.
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.
Guardians of Ember (Runewaker) – 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.
Legends of Aria (Citadel Studios) – Kickstarted as Shards Online. Alpha ended.
Life is Feudal (Bitbox): Indiegogo ended. Currently in beta.
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)
OrbusVR (Ad Alternum) – KS funded March 2017.
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) – Kickstarted, early access launched sans multiplayer.
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; 2015Â KSÂ unsuccesful. In Steam early access.
The Realm: Reawakened (Stephen Nichols) – Ongoing GoFundMe.
The Repopulation (Idea Fabrik) – Kickstarted twice by A&B. Back in alpha
ROKH (Darewise) – Kickstarter canceled; now in early access.
RUiN (Tarhead Studio) – Kickstarter successful.
The Stomping Land (Alex Fundora) – Abandoned.
Sacrament (Ferocity Unbound) – Kickstarter failed; Patreon ongoing.
Shadow’s Kiss (Clockwork Throne) – Ongoing Patreon, Kickstarter ends Dec 5.
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.
