Support Stars Reach on Kickstarter if You Like Playable Worlds

Since its unveiling a few months ago, Stars Reach has created quite a stir. Playable Worlds is currently hoping that the sandbox MMORPG‘s showcase will encourage audience members to financially contribute to the next phase of its development. They’re seeking gamers’ monetary support for bringing the project to completion amidst the current challenging market dynamics and a shortage of private funds for video game development; this comes despite prior statements that there were no Kickstarter initiatives in the works.

I don’t find this move surprising whatsoever. Raph Koster, Dave Georgeson and the entire team form a group of highly skilled developers, some of whom have earned a reputation not only in the larger gaming community but specifically in the MMO genre. However, I’ve always been intrigued by how they are managing their funding. Stars Reach seemed to emerge out of thin air, leading me to believe they might resort to Kickstarter or a pledge model akin to Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. Given what little information is available on their funding, it’s still unclear who their financial backers might be.

During a recent discusison on the game’s Discord server, Koster and the rest of the team announced that the game has secured $38 million in investments without delving into specifics. Koster added that Stars Reach is about 83% of the way through its development, with plans to roll out early access by year’s end.

Given the substantial progress Stars Reach has made and the volume of tests carried out, it has potentially instilled greater confidence among gamers than other projects which have sought crowdfunding while having less to show for it. However, after experiencing disappointment with numerous MMO crowd-funding projects, it remains to be seen whether Stars Reach will hit their target.

The Kickstarter page is now live, with the campaign expected to commence around February 10th. The page reveals the team’s progression in the development and summarizes various key features mentioned on this site.

Playable Worlds has assured that the rewards given to donors will not affect the game’s playability or economy, and will offer stretch goals, some of which may aim to expedite the addition of already planned features.

We look forward to seeing exactly how much funding the company is seeking once the campaign starts. If you’re interested, please visit the page and stay updated about the campaign.