This week in MMO crowdfunding, we got a blast of good news courtesy of Project Gorgon player Drew, who got a tentative release window for the early access MMORPG out of an Elder Game GM during a Halloween Q&A with the devs:
As the cherry on top for the week, the genre saw another big win as The Wagadu Chronicles successfully funded on Kickstarter, scoring almost $200K from backers. And that wasn’t all: Pathfinder Online isn’t dead, Fractured is gearing up for testing next week, Temtem plans for an early access PS5 launch in December, Ship of Heroes posted a Halloween content vid, Elite Dangerous merged Horizons into its base version, Star Citizen players played with numbers, and we side-eyed studios that use Kickstarter to fund their demos.
Read on for more on what’s been up with MMO crowdfunding over the last couple of weeks, plus our roundup of all the crowdfunded MMOs we’re following!
Wagadu Chronicles
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wagadu/the-wagadu-chronicles/description
Recent MMO crowdfunding news
Book of Travels previews its early access landmass and elaborates on its chapter-based update system
Inside Star Citizen brings back Count Disco to talk new HUD styles and engineer gameplay prototyping
Ashes of Creation offers a peek at PvP combat from pre-alpha and discusses PvP balance in a livestream
Pathfinder Online adds new structures for Combat Alchemists and rebalances an Escalation
The Wagadu Chronicles adds one last stretch goal with just about two days left on the clock
Temtem plans ‘exclusive’ PlayStation 5 early access launch December 8
Ship of Heroes shows off a Halloween-themed peek at its mission content in new video
The gamer who circumnavigated the galaxy in a ship of Elite Dangerous’ own making
Elite Dangerous has merged Horizons into the base game as of today
City of Heroes Homecoming’s Issue 27 beta adds new story, travel changes, and enhancement overhaul
Albion Online’s Halloween event is prepping a solo dungeon
Inside Star Citizen returns with a look at an updated mining UI, refinery decks, docking collars, and utility weapons
The Wagadu Chronicles reaches its Emere sub-culture stretch goal, looks to nomadic village totems next
Vague Patch Notes: Kickstarter shouldn’t be your investor demo funding
Dual Universe bans players who took advantage of an official construct’s poor permissions settings
Ship of Heroes’ Casey McGeever on the innovation of the indie MMO scene
Crowfall shares more specialization changes for the Cleric, Frostweaver, Druid, and Templar classes
Albion Online’s midseason patch, Brimstone & Mist, is live with new dungeon mobs
Whatever happened to Saga of Lucimia?
Kickstarted MMO Zenith wants to be ‘the Ultima Online of VR’
Star Citizen Live discusses the features of alpha 3.11 and patch plans for the new build
Swords ‘n Magic and Stuff adds a Halloween event, plans animal companions, and pushes back housing
Pantheon talks pre-alpha 5, publishers, and properly funding the vision
Fractured shows off mining and blacksmithing, dates fall alpha for November 4
Star Citizen has 720K total backers and 34K subscribers according to gathered public data
Ship of Heroes
Campaigns and crowdfunded MMOs we’re watching
3001SQ (Société des Mondes Virtuels) – Kickstarter unsuccessful, dev halted in 2018.
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.
Book of Travels (Might and Delight) – Kickstarted successfully. Closed beta.
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, Indiegogo. Beta.
Chronicles of Elyria (Soulbound) – Kickstarter. Abandoned March 2020.
City of Heroes Homecoming (Homecoming) – Monthly donation rounds.
City of Titans (Missing Worlds Media) – Successful KS; Issue 0 delayed into 2019.
Dawngate (Studio Wayfinder). Kickstarter successful.
Day of Dragons (Beawesome) – Kickstarter successful.
Descent Underground (Descendent Studios) – Successful KS.
Destiny’s Sword (2Dogs) – Kickstarter successful June 2019; demo avail now.
Divergence Online (Stained Glass Llama) – Abandoned in early access.
Dogma: Eternal Night (Prelude Games Factory): Kickstarter. Probably dead.
Dragon of Legends (Thrive Games) – Successful Kickstarter.
Dual Universe (Novaquark) – Kickstarter funded, donor platform. Paid beta.
Eco (Strange Loop Games) – Funded, now in alpha.
Edengrad (Huckleberry Games) – Kickstarter funded. Abandoned, then not, then again.
Elite: Dangerous (Frontier Developments) – Funded and fully 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. Alpha 2.
Frozen Flame (Dreamside) – Fig campaign successful. In founder alpha.
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) –Â KS canceled; Indiegogo. Canceled w/ refunds.
Infinity: Battlescape (I-Novae Studios)
HEX (HEX Entertainment) – Funded and launched and now sunsetting Dec 31.
Ilysia (Team 21) – Kickstarter fully funded Oct 2020.
Legends of Aria (Citadel Studios) – Kickstarted as Shards Online. Launched 2020.
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) –Â Open donations, no end date.
Novus AEterno (Taitale Studios)
Oath (Ready-Up) – Kickstarter funded. Seemingly abandoned.
Occupy White Walls (Stikipixels) – Kickstarter unsuccessful.
OrbusVR (Ad Alternum) – KS funded March 2017. In early access.
Overpower (Hydrant Games) –Â Kickstarter unfunded; heading to early access.
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen (Visionary Realms) –Â Open donations. Pre-alpha.
Pantropy (Brain Stone GmbH): First Kickstarter canceled, second funded.
Past Fate (Icy North): First Kickstarter unsuccessful, second successful.
Pathfinder Online (GoblinWorks) – Doom, mostly.
Path of Titans (Alderon) – Indiegogo.
Planet Nomads (Craneballs) – Kickstarted, early access launched sans multiplayer.
Playcraft (Bebop Games) – Kickstarter funded May 2019.
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.
RAW (Killerwhale) – Kickstarter canceled by Kickstarter.
ROKH (Darewise) – Kickstarter canceled; in early access but not active dev.
RUiN (Tarhead Studio) – Kickstarter successful.
Sacrament (Ferocity Unbound) – Kickstarter failed; Patreon ongoing.
Saga of Lucimia (Stormhaven) – Indiegogo. Intermittent pre-alphas.
Seed (Klang Games) – Kickstarter launching in 2020.
Shadow’s Kiss (Clockwork Throne) – Ongoing Patreon, Kickstarter funded.
Ship of Heroes (Heroic) – Kickstarter canceled, beta expected before 2020.
Shroud of the Avatar (Portalarium) – Soft launch July 2016. Launch March 2018.
Spycursion (Defun) – Kickstarter unsuccessful.
Squadron 42 (Cloud Imperium) – Beta delayed until at least 2020.
Star Citizen (Cloud Imperium) – Ongoing donations/packages. Backer alpha.
Starfighter Infinity (Ben Olding) – Kickstarter funded. Early access.
Swords ‘n Magic and Stuff (Kindred) – Kickstarter funded.
Temtem (Crema) – Kickstarter fully funded; now in early access.
The Exiled (Fairytale Distillery) – fka Das Tal;Â KSÂ 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.
The Stomping Land (Alex Fundora) – Abandoned.
The Wagadu Chronicles (Twin Drums) – Kickstarter successful.
Titan Reach (Square Root) – Kickstarter unsuccessful.
Trials of Ascension (Dragonfire) – Latest Kickstarter failed.
TUG (Nerd Kingdom) – Totally abandoned without a word. Now considered a scam.
Vigor Roads (NeuronHaze) – Kickstarter unsuccessful; early access planned for 2017.
War of Rights (Campfire Games) – Successful Kickstarter; in early access.
Zenith (Ramen) – Kickstarter successfully funded; now in alpha.
Temtem
Yes, some crowdfunded MMOs most definitely do succeed. But others crash and burn, and you need to hear about the whole spectrum of games that sought your money early in exchange for the promise of input and transparency. And that’s exactly what Make My MMO does every Saturday. Help us keep ’em accountable, would ya?
