{"id":6628,"date":"2018-08-28T18:10:53","date_gmt":"2018-08-28T18:10:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.indiesmasher.com\/wp\/?p=6628"},"modified":"2018-08-28T18:10:53","modified_gmt":"2018-08-28T18:10:53","slug":"kickstarter-mmorpgs-that-were-successfully-funded-and-where-they-stand-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indiesmasher.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/28\/kickstarter-mmorpgs-that-were-successfully-funded-and-where-they-stand-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Kickstarter MMORPGs That Were Successfully Funded And Where They Stand Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the crowdfunding scene has had the wind in its sails for a while now, the same, unfortunately, can not be said of the MMO market. On a constant freefall during the recent years, the majority of large MMO have been mostly considered as failures by gamers. Whether it is the players being too demanding, or genre itself struggling to evolve, the fact is that people are still finding it hard to find MMOs they can truly say they love. Yet, there are still MMO gamers supporting new projects via crowdfunding. What happened to the MMOs that were successfully funded through Kicktarter campaign, and what are the future plans?<\/span><\/p>\n

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MMOs That Raised Less Than $50,000<\/span><\/h1>\n

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FIELDS OF ERAGOS ONLINE<\/span><\/h3>\n

Funded March 2, 2014 with just $701 CAD collected through 58 contributors, Fields of Eragos Online wants to be a MMO focused on the farming genre. And if there are projects which surprised with their kickstarter success, Fields of Eragos Online is undeniably one of those, at least for me, having convinced 58 people that it is technically possible to make an MMO with only $300.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fields of Eragos Online is an online, multiplayer farming game. The game is setup for a sense of community and friendship. The main goals in-game are designed around progressing your character (stats, money, farm, status, etc), and the secondary objectives are quests and exploration. Fields of Eragos offers a wide variety of areas and quests to keep people interested and active, while trying to stay true to the farming game it was designed to be. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The developers had announced a Beta test for Field of Eragos Online for 2016, but as of now I cant find any information about the game that doesn’t date back to a few years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

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DIVERGENCE: ONLINE<\/span><\/h3>\n

Funded on September 1, 2013 with $ 19,626 raised through 116 contributors, Divergence: Online is a an old-school sandbox MMORPG where building, crafting and the exploration of an unlimited world is commonplace in the manner of a Star Wars Galaxies. If the pitch is not innovative, the focus here is on a hardcore vision: open-world PvP, lootable bodies, and permadeath, assuming that you were not careful enough to create a clone of yourself before dying.<\/span><\/p>\n

Divergence: Online is an open-world sandbox MMO that began as the spiritual successor to Pre-NGE SWG, but since has grown into its own living breathing universe. Divergence was designed to provide unmatched crafting, player and guild housing and player freedom on a scale, we believe, never before achieved.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In 2015, the developers launched a second campaign on IndieGoGo that failed to reach the goal of $10,000. Currently in Early Access on Steam (2 years now), the game has been receiving mixed reviews.<\/span><\/p>\n

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CROWN OF THE GODS<\/span><\/h3>\n

Funded in January 11, 2015 with $ 21,000 raised through 215 contributors, Crown of the Gods is a F2P browser MMORTS. While the Kickstarter campaign was intended to raise $ 5,000, the amount was reached in less than 20min. With the 2nd goal, set at $10,000, reached, the developers also acquired the services of an additional artist to make the look more pleasant. <\/span><\/p>\n

In Crown of the Gods\u2122, players will build an intricate network of cities, link them together with automated trade routes, and field their own style of military to create a powerful empire.<\/span><\/p>\n

Players can be aggressive fighters, dabble in politics, become successful traders, or play however they like.<\/span><\/p>\n

Groups of players can join together in alliances and try to win the server end game. This involves completing a challenging series of tasks, while fighting other alliances and sabotaging each other\u2019s efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The winning alliance will win the Crown of the Gods\u2122! Runners-up will have a chance to win a lesser Crown. Servers that have been conquered will eventually close down, and new servers will open regularly.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The game will be opening its 13th world in a few days, on September 1st, and seems to be doing alright with a small community.<\/span><\/p>\n

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GUN OF ICARUS ONLINE<\/span><\/h3>\n

Funded on February 21, 2012 with $ 35,238 raised through 1211 contributors, Gun of Icarus Online puts you in the shoes of the captain of an steampunk airship and allows players to fly with friends in a post-apocalyptic dogfight MMO world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hop aboard a steampunk airship with friends and play as Gunner, Engineer, or Pilot. Gun down dirigibles, repair your way out of danger, pilot the ship into combat. Are you a decisive Captain or dutiful Crew? Teamwork is required to survive the skies of the premier airship combat game: GUNS OF ICARUS ONLINE! <\/span><\/p>\n

Raising the stakes on team-based PvP combat with an emphasis on strategic competition and truly cooperative play, Guns of Icarus Online is the best airship-to-airship combat game that\u2019s all about teamwork, tactics, and fast-paced action. With a good ship and the right crew, you can conquer the skies!<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Well received by the public, the game is still updated regularly. Unfortunately, Gun of Icarus Online suffered from the fate that is all too common in MMOs lately and finds its playerbase constantly dropping, something that can also be attributed to the game being nearly 6 years old. For the curious, it is available on Steam for less than $5.<\/span><\/p>\n

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PUMPKIN ONLINE<\/span><\/h3>\n

Funded on September 18, 2014 with over $ 37,000 raised through 1239 contributors, Pumpkin Online wants to be an MMO for players who enjoy games like Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing. One noteworthy backer donated $3,000 to the campaign, granting her the right to add some content of her choice to the game. Suffering from a chronic illness, she decided to include a quest line aimed at creating more awareness towards disabled people.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pumpkin Online is a farming\/dating sim MMORPG, wildly different than any other out there. Instead of level grinding with battle and combat, Pumpkin Online is a relaxed game. You can role-play a profession, craft items, customize your own private farm, go on quests, have fun with NPCs, and more, all with friends!<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At the moment, Pumpkin Online is still far from completed, and the developers do not plan to hold any beta test before another year at least.<\/span><\/p>\n

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EMBERS OF CAERUS<\/span><\/h3>\n

Funded June 19, 2012 with over $ 46,000 raised through 434 contributors, Embers of Caerus was meant to be a sandbox MMORPG set in a medieval low-fantasy world. The Kickstarter campaign that required $ 25,000 was quickly validated thanks to a generous backer who helped finance it with a donation of $10,000 during the first day of the campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

Embers of Caerus is a next-generation sandbox medieval fantasy MMORPG under development by Forsaken Studios. With a rich, player-controlled story, a massive, realistic game-world, and a host of innovative features, Embers of Caerus promises to be the game that sandbox fans have been waiting for! Now, with the fantastic support of leading software company Havok and access to their amazing technologies, we\u2019re ready to take our project to the next level. And that\u2019s where you come in\u2026<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Problems have however started to emerge early in February 2014, almost two years after the Kickstarter campaign. The official website of the MMO was no longer available. Despite regular messages on social networks indicating that the site would be back, the last message, dating back to April 2014, was as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

Alright guys, latest update for you!<\/span><\/p>\n

I’ve made some progressing in securing a host for the website\/forums and in the next few days I hope to have an agreement signed and start work on getting it back online.<\/span><\/p>\n

I don’t have an ETA on when the site will be up and running right now, but as soon as I know more I’ll let you know. Thanks again for all the patience!<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We are now in 2018, and still no update from the developer. At this point, unless there\u2019s a miracle somehow, the project is as good as dead.<\/span><\/p>\n

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ASTRONAUT: MOON, MARS AND BEYOND<\/span><\/h3>\n

Funded October 11, 2011 with $ 46,720 raised through 962 contributors, Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond is the official NASA MMO, offering realistic environments and missions. If the project began via a simple contest meant to find the best idea for an MMO depicting the near future, the NASA quickly signed an agreement with the team of developers, making their scientific knowledge available to make the game as realistic and complete as possible. Three years after the kickstarter campaign, in January 2014 the developers offered 20min single player prototype called Starlite for sale. A few months later, they released a second, not exactly successful, title on Steam named G-Ball, , \u00a0and, in May 2014, developers are putting on steam, G-Ball, a \u201csports game set in orbit of Mars in the not-so-distant future\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Play as an aspiring astronaut in Astronaut:Moon, Mars and Beyond\u2122, the official NASA MMO game. Set in the year 2035, you will embark on an adventure into space, Mars, the asteroid belt, and the outer planets.You will uncover secrets about a threat to civilization as we know it, and build you and your team a high-tech inventory of space gear including a home base, somewhere out there.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As of August 2018, there is no announcement of a multiplayer release of the game, although in the last update dating back to September 2015, the developers did say that they \u201chaven’t stopped simulating Mars in the last 3 years\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

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MMOs That Raised $50,000 – $2,000,000<\/span><\/h1>\n

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IDENTITY<\/span><\/h3>\n

Funded on February 4, 2015 with $ 142,766 raised through 4218 contributors, Identity is a modern type “life simulation” MMORPG developed by Asylum Entertainment. Building on the strengths of games like the Sims, Identity offers the luxury of a last generation graphics engine, Unreal Engine 4. And the result is particularly impressive, so much so that one wonders how the game will support the massive influx of players that accompany the MMO genre. But for now, this is not the time to worry about any technical problems since the game is still in development, and that a first beta will certainly not happen before 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

Identity is a modern-day open-world MMORPG for PC and Mac with complete freedom to do almost anything you can imagine at any time in first or third person views. \u00a0Live as an honest civilian, a criminal, police officer, paramedic and many more. There are no levels or skill grinding, but talent and perk progression so that it\u2019s the actions of you, not your character, which matter most.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The developers are still working on it, with a gameplay trailer released earlier this year. Stay tuned!<\/span><\/p>\n