Make My MMO: Embers Adrift vetoes PvP, Zenith launches Skyward Summit (original) (raw)
Welcome to another blast of MMO crowdfunding news from the last few weeks! We don’t often hear the word “never” from MMO developers as studios usually like to keep their options open and their players dangling forever. But Embers Adrift didn’t beat around the bush in response to player inquiries about when the game would see PvP. “Never,” was the reply. “It’s not going to be a PvP game.”
Zenith also had a big week, as the VR MMO launched its Skyward Summit update and vowed even faster updates in the future. Desktop client when?
Meanwhile, Elite Dangerous published update 15, we checked in on Dual Universe, Camelot Unchained keeps plodding along, Fractured Veil talked about Hawaiian representation, Star Citizen prepped a free-fly, Ilysia postponed its beta yet again, and Idea Fabrik finished backing away into the bushes.
Read on for more on what’s been up with MMO crowdfunding over the last few weeks, plus our roundup of all the crowdfunded MMOs we’re following!
Ashes of Creation
Recent MMO crowdfunding news
Zenith vows more polish and a faster cadence with ‘updates every 2-3 weeks’
Book of Travels continues to apply bug fixes and general gameplay updates
Pantheon Rise of the Fallen delays next pre-alpha to May 20 and takes a look at its refreshed Shaman
Star Citizen Live talks up a new ship manufacturer and alpha 3.20’s new derelict settlements
VR MMO Ilysia postpones beta again, now indefinitely, over account issues
Zenith’s Skyward Summit update is live today with a new zone and Cyber Ninja class
Indie MMO Genfanad aims to shore up combat and more ahead of Steam launch
Embers Adrift vows to ‘never’ add PvP to the game, promises free play weekend in June
Elite Dangerous Update 15 goes live today – here are the patch notes
10-year-old Camelot Unchained outlines crafting, encumbrance, and NPC AI development
Elite Dangerous previews Update 15’s new ship tech, new Thargoid foes, and a new ground mission
Temtem squashes bugs to make combat ‘satisfying and fair’ while outlining upcoming balance plans
Zenith’s Skyward Summit update launches May 11 as Ramen holds back Cyber Ninja’s subclasses
Star Citizen shows off development progress on its next indoor kart racetrack
Star Citizen marks dev progress on ships, game engine bugs, and missions in its April report
Shroud of the Avatar spray-paints its spiders while a five-year wait continues for Episode 2
Idea Fabrik, the company behind Hero Engine and The Repopulation, disappears from the internet
Ashes of Creation shows off Alpha Two’s updated mage archetype in latest livestream
The Stream Team: Ambush at AQ3D’s Treefern Camp
VR MMO Ilysia delays beta to May 13 over account management system ‘snag’
Star Citizen casts another spotlight on alpha 3.19’s updates to Lorville
Whatever happened to Kickstarted sci-fi PvP sandbox Dual Universe?
Zenith’s Skyward Summit update will introduce new active harvesting and crafting features
Pantheon Rise of the Fallen recounts April’s pre-alpha testing and dates next pre-alpha for May 13
Medieval fantasy MMO Past Fate beefs up early game and optimization
Zenith shares video previews of Skyward Summit’s player housing and more Cyber Ninja gameplay
City of Heroes’ Homecoming drops i27p6 patch with Storm Blast and new story arcs
Fractured Veil takes a closer look at its earlier 2023 roadmap plans
Star Citizen discusses design, development, and plans for mission content in latest livestream
Call of Duty is getting a board game – with a Kickstarter planned for this fall
Pantheon Rise of the Fallen zeroes in on its mastery progression system in latest video
Star Citizen
Campaigns and crowdfunded MMOs we’re watching
Holy crap it launched
It semi-launched?
In development
Dead or abandoned
Drama bomb
3001SQ (SMV) – Kickstarter unsuccessful, dev halted in 2018.AdventureQuest 3D (Artix) – Raised 368k; beta since 2016.Albion Online (Sandbox) – Launched July 2017, hit Steam May 2018.Antraxx (Team Antraxx) – Kickstarter canceled.Ascent: The Space Game (Fluffy Kitten) – Successful KS. Launched 2016.Ashes of Creation (Intrepid Studios) – Successful KS. Alpha one.Blast Out (Tarhead Studio) – Kickstarter successful. Originally called RUiN. In EA.Book of Travels (Might and Delight) – Kickstarted. Early access.Broke Protocol (Cylinder) – Unsuccessful KS. In free early access.Camelot Unchained (City State) – Kickstarter; open donations/packages.Caribbean Conquest (Invenio) – First KS canceled, second ended unsuccessfully.Codename Reality (Orode) – Kickstarter unsuccessful.Contested Space (Zon) – Kickstarter unsuccessful.Crowfall (ArtCraft) – Kickstarter successful, Indiegogo. Launched, sold, unlaunched.Chronicles of Elyria (Soulbound) – Kickstarter. Much shenanigans.City of Heroes Homecoming (Homecoming) – Monthly donation rounds.City of Titans (Missing Worlds Media) – Successful KS.Dawngate (Studio Wayfinder). Kickstarter successful, but no license.Day of Dragons (Beawesome) – Kickstarter successful.Descent Underground (Descendent Studios) – Successful KS.Destiny’s Sword (2Dogs) – Kickstarter successful June 2019; downgraded.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.Dreamworld (Dreamworld Realities) – Successful Kickstarter. Dodgy af. EA.Dual Universe (Novaquark) – Kickstarter funded, donor platform. Launched 2022.Eco (Strange Loop Games) – Funded, now in beta.Edengrad (Huckleberry Games) – Kickstarter funded. Abandoned.Elite: Dangerous (Frontier Developments) – Funded and fully launched.Embers Adrift (Stormhaven) – Indiegogo. Fka Saga of Lucimia. Launched.Empyrion Online (Eleon) – Kickstarter canceled; launched on Steam.Endless Trials (Fire Hurts) – Kickstarter canceled.Epic Space (EpicSpace.net)Ethyrial Echoes of Yore (Gellyberry). Kickstarter canceled.EverFeud (PSB) – Kickstarter canceled.Ever, Jane (3 Turn Productions) – Successful Kickstarter. Sunsetted 2020.Fractured (Dynamight/Gamigo) – Kickstarter successful. EA 2022, now in closed dev.Fractured Veil (Paddle Creek) – Kickstarter successful.Freeland VR (Freeland VR AB) – Kickstarter successful.Frozen Flame (Dreamside) – Fig campaign successful. In founder alpha.Genfanad (Rose Tinted Games) – Kickstarter successful. Launched 2022.Global Adventures (SubaGames) – Kickstarter funded.Gloria Victis (Black Eye Games) – Open donations; 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.Identity (Asylum) – Kickstarter successful. Beta July 2022. Infinity: Battlescape (I-Novae Studios) – Successful KS; in early access.HEX (HEX Entertainment) – Funded, launched; sunsetted 2020.Ilysia (Team 21) – Kickstarter fully funded Oct 2020. Closed beta.Legends of Aria/BRITARIA (Citadel/Reaper) – Shards Online. Launched 2020. Yikes.Life is Feudal (Bitbox): Indiegogo ended. Closed and maintenance-moded.LUX (Chimera) – Kickstarter canceled. Seemingly abandoned.Maestros of the Anthymn (String Theory) – Kickstarter canceled.Maguss (Maguss) – Indiegogo successful; launched then sunsetted in 2020.Mekria (Infinity Online Studios) – Kickstarter canceled. Seemingly abandoned.Midair (Archetype Studios) – Kickstarter successful. On Steam but abandoned.Nebula Online (Mizar Games) Kickstarter canceled; launched in November.Neo’s Land (NeoJac Entertainment) – Open donations. Abandoned.Novus AEterno (Taitale Studios) – Successful KS. Abandoned.Oath (Ready-Up) – Kickstarter funded. Seemingly abandoned.Occupy White Walls (Stikipixels) – Kickstarter unsuccessful. Launched 2022.Odd Giants (Odd Giants) – Patreon ongoing.OrbusVR (Ad Alternum) – KS funded March 2017. Launched 2019.Overpower (Hydrant Games) – Kickstarter unfunded; early access.Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen (Visionary Realms) – Open donations. Pre-alpha.Pantropy (Brain Stone GmbH): First KS canceled, second funded. In EA.Past Fate (Icy North): First Kickstarter unsuccessful, second successful. Alpha.Pathfinder Online (GoblinWorks) – Sunsetted 2021.Path of Titans (Alderon) – Indiegogo. In early access.Planet Nomads (Craneballs) – Kickstarted, early access launched sans multiplayer.Playcraft (Bebop Games) – Kickstarter funded May 2019; in EA.Pixel Starships (SavySoda) – Kickstarter funded. Second one too. In EA.Project Gorgon (Elder Game) – Three KS + Indiegogo. Early access.Project Oasis World (POW) – Kickstarter unsuccessful.Pumpkin Online (Monique) – Launched as Pumpkin Days.RAW (Killerwhale) – Kickstarter canceled by Kickstarter.ROKH (Darewise) – Kickstarter canceled; dev ended.Sacrament (Ferocity Unbound) – Kickstarter, Patreon failed. Abandoned.Seed (Klang Games) – Kickstarter imminent?Shadow’s Kiss (Clockwork Throne) – Ongoing Patreon, Kickstarter funded. Early access.Ship of Heroes (Heroic) – Kickstarter canceled, launch expected in 2022. Beta.Shroud of the Avatar (Portalarium) – Launch 2016 & 2018. Trainwrecks.Spycursion (Defun) – Kickstarter unsuccessful.Squadron 42 (Cloud Imperium) – Beta delayed.Star Citizen (Cloud Imperium) – Ongoing funding. Backer alpha.Starfighter Infinity (Ben Olding) – Kickstarter funded. Early access.Swords ‘n Magic and Stuff (Kindred) – Kickstarter funded. Early access.Temtem (Crema) – Kickstarter fully funded and launched.The Exiled (Fairytale Distillery) – fka Das Tal; KS unsuccessful. Early access but dev halted.The Flower of Knighthood – Kickstarter canceled.The Realm: Reawakened (Stephen Nichols) – Live game. Ongoing GoFundMe.The Repopulation (Idea Fabrik) – Kickstarted twice by A&B. Abandoned in alpha.The Stomping Land (Alex Fundora) – Abandoned.The Wagadu Chronicles (Twin Drums) – Kickstarter successful. Alpha 2.TitanReach (Square Root) – Kickstarter failed. Defunct/scam. Aka World of Titans.Trials of Ascension (Dragonfire) – Latest Kickstarter failed. In EA as a singleplayer demo.TUG (Nerd Kingdom) – Abandoned without a word. Scam.Valiance Online (Silverhelm) – Backer beta.Vigor Roads (NeuronHaze) – Kickstarter unsuccessful. Website dead/abandoned.War of Rights (Campfire Games) – Successful Kickstarter; in early access.World Seed (Ape Egg) – Kickstarter unsuccessful. Classic launched.Zenith (Ramen) – Kickstarter successful; VR version launched, PC delayed.
Zenith
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 several times a month. Help us keep ’em accountable, would ya?