This week week in MMO crowdfunding, it’s a minor miracle that anybody is paying any attention to Kickstarted games, what with all the mega stories in the genre right now, but that doesn’t mean nothing happened. Ashes of Creation’s alpha one stress test kicked off, Chronicles of Elyria’s latest event contributed to Doctors Without Borders, Codename Reality’s Kickstarter failed to fund, Ship of Heroes showed off NPC and car population AI, Star Citizen teased moonscapes and delivered its monthly report, Grim Dawn previewed its next big thing, and another Elite Dangerous event went off the rails – or in this case, clung too tightly to its rails.
Notably, over in the Shroud of the Avatar, there are two campaigns running: One, for the comic, is already successful with several weeks yet to go. The second is actually for a person rather than a thing: It’s a GoFundMe for a former Portalarium dev who broke a bunch of ribs in a nasty fall. The community is helping him get back on his feet, literally.
Read on for more on what’s been up with MMO crowdfunding over the last couple of weeks and our roundup of all the crowdfunded MMOs we’re following.
Hail, all. Bob Cooksey, the man responsible for the delightful homes in Shroud of the Avatar, hath had an accident and incurred some hefty medical bills whilst between insurance companies. Wilt thou show compassion and contribute to the cause? https://t.co/6Up3x6f4eR
— Rustic Dragon (@RusticDragon) September 6, 2018
Shroud of the Avatar
Recent MMO crowdfunding news
Elite Dangerous’ Gnosis community storyline goes awry over ‘godmoding’ - If Elite Dangerous has disappointed you with its handling of player events in the past, this week's situation probably isn't going to endear you to it further. Apparently, Frontier decided…
Chronicles of Elyria update shows off new art assets, progresses Searing Plague world event - Soulbound Studios is getting crafty in the latest update for its in-development MMO Chronicles of Elyria, as it displays some of the newly created models for the crafting stations that…
Camelot Unchained discusses development of destructible deathmatch castle, new art assets - Development on Camelot Unchained seems to be coming along nicely, and the folks at City State Entertainment have posted a new weekly update detailing the week's progress. On top of…
Dual Universe AMA tackles questions about alpha testing, LUA scripting, combat, and more - Novaquark, developer of upcoming voxel-based spacefaring MMO Dual Universe, has posted an AMA of all the questions asked by fans during Gamescom 2018. The subjects discussed run the gamut from…
Star Citizen highlights moonscapes and player housing, plus its monthly studio report - You know one of my favorite things about Firefly? The bunkrooms. Like seriously, I want a hammock and a pull out toilet/sink. That set designer deserved a medal for making…
Ashes of Creation kicks off its alpha 1 stress testing for top backers today - Stress testing for Ashes of Creation's alpha 1 is beginning today, according to a newsletter sent 'round to followers yesterday. "Alpha One is almost upon us so we'd like to…
Albion Online patch brings minor changes and fixes - Multiplatform fantasy sandbox MMO Albion Online has received a small update today, bringing a few changes and fixes to the game. The changes are relatively minor ones, such as making…
Shroud of the Avatar player explains how to work the game’s new furniture dyes - There are inevitably going to be two different sorts of reaction to the new furniture you can dye in Shroud of the Avatar. One group of players will be thankful…
Here’s how Ship of Heroes is populating its starship city with people and vehicles - Can I be real for a sec here. Smashing cars was one of the best parts of City of Heroes. Being rewarded for destroying them in Mayhem missions was especially…
The Stream Team: Searching AdventureQuest 3D’s Screaming Woods - What's the first thing Massively OP's MJ does when she gets home? She heads on a trip to AQ3D's Screaming Woods! Greava has asked for help, and MJ is answering.…
Hardcore ‘MMOPEG’ sandbox Codename Reality has failed to fund on Kickstarter, vows to continue - Just about a month ago, we covered a brand-new Kickstarter from a brand-new MMORPG called Codename Reality. Actually, European developer Orode Productions called it an MMOPEG - a "massively multiplayer…
Elite: Dangerous brings new engineers to the remote Colonia system - The latest update to Elite Dangerous sees the arrival of valuable engineers in the remote system of Colonia, giving players on the fringes of the interplanetary frontier a place to…
PAX West 2018: Ashes of Creation maps out its alpha testing for the next year - If you missed the Ashes of Creation panel at PAX West on Saturday, you'll be forgiven - and richly rewarded all the same, as Ashes fansite The AOC Dungeon has…
Camelot Unchained recaps a week’s progress while showing off animations - If you missed it, Camelot Unchained has spent the week testing. Patience? No, testing the game, and there's even an hour-long Q&A session recapping all of the work that's been…
Elite Dangerous outlines scaled-back Beyond content, teases big changes for 2019 - If you were one of the players grumbling over the smallish size of Elite Dangerous' latest update, first of all, you weren't alone. But second of all, you needn't worry…
Crowfall peels apart the layers of the Ranger’s sound design - "Great sound designers are among the unsung heroes of game development. When their work is on point, it blends seamlessly into the game’s environment, hardly noticed specifically, but adding a…
Star Citizen partially reverses CitizenCon streaming paywall decision after community erupts - Note: We've updated the end of this post with the latest developments since the article went live Friday morning. The Star Citizen subreddit has been positively ablaze overnight thanks to…
Shroud of the Avatar previews player-made dungeons, launches Kickstarter for comic book - Shroud of the Avatar has never been bereft of interesting ideas or experimental initiatives. One of these is getting a live preview today with Release 57, as everyone can check…
Elite Dangerous’ Beyond Chapter Three is live today; here’s the trailer and patch notes! - I probably need to hide my husband's joystick if I want to see him this week. That's entirely because chapter three of Elite Dangerous' Beyond season is officially live today. It…
Camelot Unchained’s racial home islands have come a looooooong way - Camelot Unchained's in beta one now, and as we've previously noted, on the inside it's not much different. On the outside it's not much different either as the game is…
Ashes of Creation confirms subscription model, allays fears over IP blocking and region locking - More overseas publishing information has trickled out of Ashes of Creation this weekend thanks to players funneling info from Discord to the forums. Readers will recall that Intrepid announced last…
Grim Dawn
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, hit Steam May 2018.
Antraxx (Team Antraxx) – Kickstarter canceled.
Ascent: The Space Game (Fluffy Kitten Studios) – Successful KS. Fully launched 2016.
Ashes of Creation (Intrepid Studios) – Successful KS. Alpha zero.
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.
Codename Reality (Orode) – Kickstarter unsuccessful.
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.) – Open donations.
City of Titans (Missing Worlds Media) – Successful KS; launching fall 2018.
Descent Underground (Descendent Studios) – Successful KS.
Divergence Online (Stained Glass Llama) – 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, 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.
Endless Trials (Fire Hurts) – Kickstarter canceled.
Epic Space (EpicSpace.net)
EverFeud (PSB) – Kickstarter canceled.
Ever, Jane (3 Turn Productions) – Now in open beta.
Fractured (Dynamight) – Kickstarter successful.
Global Adventures (SubaGames) – Kickstarter funded.
Gloria Victis (Black Eye Games) – Open donations, no end date; in early access.
Greed Monger (Greed Monger) – Abandoned, now allegedly in refund process.
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) – KS canceled; Indiegogo. Canceled w/ refunds.
Infinity: Battlescape (I-Novae Studios)
HEX (HEX Entertainment) – 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.
Maguss (Maguss) – Indiegogo successful; open beta.
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) – Open donations, no end date.
Novus AEterno (Taitale Studios)
OrbusVR (Ad Alternum) – KS funded March 2017. In early access.
Overpower (Hydrant Games) – Kickstarter unfunded; heading to early access.
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen (Visionary Realms) – Open donations. Pre-alpha.
Pantropy (Brain Stone GmbH): First Kickstarter canceled, second funded.
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. Early access.
Project Oasis World (POW) – Kickstarter unsuccessful.
Pumpkin Online (Monique) – Downgrading from MMORPG.
Temtem (Crema) – Kickstarter fully funded.
The Exiled (Fairytale Distillery) – fka Das Tal; 2015 KS unsuccessful. Early access.
The Flower of Knighthood – Kickstarter canceled.
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 funded.
Shroud of the Avatar (Portalarium) – Successful KS. Soft launch July 2016. Launch March 2018.
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.
War of Rights (Campfire Games) – Successful Kickstarter; in alpha.
Temtem music
Our composer @_damiansanchez is working tirelessly so you can all enjoy your stay on the Denizan shores 🏄🏖 pic.twitter.com/7V7v3DSyfF
— Temtem 🏰 ARBURY OUT NOW!! (@PlayTemtem) August 29, 2018
