Seeking extra funding through Kickstarter
Two down, one to go. Stoic has returned to Kickstarter for The Banner Saga 3, the final title in its turn-based strategy Viking series. This $200,000 crowdfunding campaign is meant to give the team “a little more breathing room for development to ensure the game is fully baked before launching it.”
“We’re still solidly indie, not accepting any investor funding so Kickstarter is still a great way to rally the community to show support for the game, while letting us call the shots on the games we make,” wrote the developers. “We’re paying for most of the game ourselves, but the funds we’re asking for will enable us to take the time we need and bring the band back together one more time!”
If you’ve played any of these before, you know what you’re getting into, but a recap never hurts.
“Banner Saga 1 threw you into a deep, strange world where the gods were dead. The sun had stopped. A colossal serpent leveled mountains, searching for answers hidden in an ancient language as darkness roiled on the horizon. You guided your flock against overwhelming odds, to protect the ones you loved. How did you fare as the world began its end?
Banner Saga 2 remembered your deeds, both wise and foolish. Calamity tested your leadership. Friends became enemies and enemies, allies. You walked in deep places, and glimpsed places deeper still. Always one more hill to crest. Did you endure to the great city of Arberrang? Were you welcomed or feared within its black wall while the world outside was breaking?
Banner Saga 3 concludes the tale. Steel your nerves, step forth into the approaching abyss. Cross the threshold from daylight without end into untold darkness. Warped lands within threaten your sanity, and a writhing wyrm tests your mettle. But here, in the darkness, is where secrets are brought to light and motives are made clear. Are your friends who they claim to be? They all look to you. What story will your banner tell?”
Pledges for $20 or more act as a pre-order for the PC and Mac version of The Banner Saga 3, and if you’re coming in fresh, you can add another $20 on top for instant access to the first two games.
While the “estimated delivery” on the Kickstarter page is listed as December 2018, the game’s launch date “has yet to be confirmed,” according to Stoic. I imagine it’ll be a while.
One final note: this crowdfunding drive is only for the PC/Mac version, but the team does intend to get The Banner Saga 3 on “as many platforms as possible [including mobile and console] and backing our Kickstarter will certainly help make that process easier as well as deliver a more robust game too!”
Banner Saga 3 [Kickstarter — Thanks, Rene]
