Carmageddon reincarnated with kickstarter

[Dark Drakan]

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After Scott reported on Wasteland 2 being developed thanks to a Kickstarter project and it being entirely fan-base funded, Carmageddon has gone down the same route. Patrick Buckland, founder and CEO of Stainless Games had the following to say about it...​

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Raising the funds through Kickstarter will mean that we keep complete control of the project and can make the game we know everyone wants to play – with no EVIL corporate investor or publisher telling us that we can’t run over old ladies or set fire to cows, ​

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The team is asking for a pledge goal of $400,000 and offers various rewards for donations, including your own character skin in the game.​

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Stainless hopes to have Carmageddon: Reincarnation complete by February 2013.​

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Is this the new route games developers are going to head down to retain full control of their IP's?​

 

[DarkONI]

Can't they just come up with innovative games? What's with all these long forgotten developers using Kickstarted to continue games that died ages ago and everyone praising them to be promising? They aren't going to. Gaming changes, break the stupid thin line of nostalgia affecting your judgement. Things you like come and go. That's life. Holy mother of mercy let people understand that for a change before being <censored> whenever a sequel is released or some old "good" game resurfaces from the graveyard.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Stainless Games havent really got the budget for any new IP's last game they developed was a Magic: The Gathering title in 2011. The last 4 titles they developed were all based on board games so guess it makes sense for them to try and get their name out there again by revisiting a popular franchise they had. Biggest game series they made was Carmageddon and they havent made one for 14 years. Their careers in development have mostly been reinventing/remaking older Arcade and 80's games such as Centipede, Missile Command, Warlords, Battlezone and Asteriods for newer generation.

 

[DarkONI]

I'm not going to say that's it's going to be a good game. They are only trying to keep themselves in the game market. I just don't see the excitement. Franchises come and go, why people can't accept that?

 

[Dark Drakan]

I'm not going to say that's it's going to be a good game. They are only trying to keep themselves in the game market. I just don't see the excitement. Franchises come and go, why people can't accept that?

The people who dont want to donate dont, the people who do want the game to be released do. No-one loses out and the company get to develop a game that they have wanted to do a sequel to for some time but havent had the budget. Seems to be win win for everyone to be honest and keeps a development team in a job. The game wont break any new ground and will likely just revisit older titles and have a nostalgic feel to it but wheres the harm in it? They have the passion for game development but dont have the big budget publisher behind them thats the only difference. Wouldnt say theres huge excitement either, just a nostalgic little buzz about an old franchise getting another chance for fans to revisit it in the modern age. Id much rather see that than a greedy publisher milking franchises year after year and see games being made for the fans rather than the money.

 

[DarkONI]

The game wont break any new ground and will likely just revisit older titles and have a nostalgic feel to it but wheres the harm in it? They have the passion for game development but dont have the big budget publisher behind them thats the only difference.

You are right, I am sorry, I must be really stressed since my opinion is so aggressive.

 

[Dark Drakan]

You are right, I am sorry, I must be really stressed since my opinion is so aggressive.

:lol: I didnt see it as aggressive to be honest, no harm done. Im just a passionate gamer that enjoys seeing games developers develop games they want to develop for the fans rather than a greedy corporation milking the same franchises. Some franchises didnt deserve to die (Shenmue) and some do need to but are still being made because big money publishers pump mega money into them and rip-off gamers with yearly updates. Main thing thats exciting about these Kickstarter projects is that we might get to see some franchises that didnt deserve to die returning and getting another chance.

 

[DarkONI]

:lol: I didnt see it as aggressive to be honest, no harm done. Im just a passionate gamer that enjoys seeing games developers develop games they want to develop for the fans rather than a greedy corporation milking the same franchises. Some franchises didnt deserve to die (Shenmue) and some do need to but are still being made because big money publishers pump mega money into them and rip-off gamers with yearly updates. Main thing thats exciting about these Kickstarter projects is that we might get to see some franchises that didnt deserve to die returning and getting another chance.

Yeah, it's just that because I'm stressed I oversaw what the purpose of Kickstarter and the developer's idea is. The worst is that I want to become a game developer myself, so I should have understood that earlier.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Yeah, it's just that because I'm stressed I oversaw what the purpose of Kickstarter and the developer's idea is. The worst is that I want to become a game developer myself, so I should have understood that earlier.

Kickstarter projects are a great way to get started in the industry and getting donations to help fund your development costs. Would be incredibly difficult to develop an ambitious first title with little to no cash after all. If people like the sound of your ideas they can pitch in and help fund its development.

 

[DarkONI]

Kickstarter projects are a great way to get started in the industry and getting donations to help fund your development costs. Would be incredibly difficult to develop an ambitious first title with little to no cash after all. If people like the sound of your ideas they can pitch in and help fund its development.

Yes, it's one of the few ways that you can try and get into the game development market. I think indie development is one of the best things that happened to the game industry, since independent developers usually are few people and can dedicate themselves into developing the game the way they want, without having to answer a set of rules that the publisher wants. I.e. Lionhead subtle annoyance of Microsoft's publishers. That's also why many popular studios are dissolved or even why there are cases of the whole key staff leaving.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Yes, it's one of the few ways that you can try and get into the game development market. I think indie development is one of the best things that happened to the game industry, since independent developers usually are few people and can dedicate themselves into developing the game the way they want, without having to answer a set of rules that the publisher wants. I.e. Lionhead subtle annoyance of Microsoft's publishers. That's also why many popular studios are dissolved or even why there are cases of the whole key staff leaving.

Yeah sometimes when publishers pull out or start pulling the strings development teams can crumble. Prime example was Infinity Ward and Activisions now infamous fall out.

 

[DarkONI]

Yeah sometimes when publishers pull out or start pulling the strings development teams can crumble. Prime example was Infinity Ward and Activisions now infamous fall out.

I think IW was sick of Activision-Blizzard, nobody can blame them. Activision has always been a mongrel openly in the game industry. Nowadays that they hold keys on some best-selling franchises? I think it's like handing a gun to a villain and ask to be shot on the head. Although, there's no word from the IW team that formed a new studio or even from 22cans, but that's possibly because an engine takes years to develop.

 

[Dark Drakan]

I think IW was sick of Activision-Blizzard, nobody can blame them. Activision has always been a mongrel openly in the game industry. Nowadays that they hold keys on some best-selling franchises? I think it's like handing a gun to a villain and ask to be shot on the head. Although, there's no word from the IW team that formed a new studio or even from 22cans, but that's possibly because an engine takes years to develop.

Well when a publisher starts telling you what to do with your own franchise and then not paying the bonuses they promised and wanting to control everything to do with the brand it was to be expected. Respawn Entertainment are working on a new project but hasnt been announced yet, only got an office in June 2011 so hasnt quite been 12 months yet. They have been posting on Twitter and even yesterday said they are working every day on their new title. Only a blurry screen of the title so far but id imagine news will be released soon.

Peter Molyneux was talking on Twitter a couple of weeks ago too and he had only just started the first stages of coding for their new game so nothing will be released about that yet. They are still hiring artists and animators last I heard the other day.

 

[DarkONI]

Well when a publisher starts telling you what to do with your own franchise and then not paying the bonuses they promised and wanting to control everything to do with the brand it was to be expected. Respawn Entertainment are working on a new project but hasnt been announced yet, only got an office in June 2011 so hasnt quite been 12 months yet. They have been posting on Twitter and even yesterday said they are working every day on their new title. Only a blurry screen of the title so far but id imagine news will be released soon.

Peter Molyneux was talking on Twitter a couple of weeks ago too and he had only just started the first stages of coding for their new game so nothing will be released about that yet. They are still hiring artists and animators last I heard the other day.

I just hope Peter Molyneux now that he is older and wiser will not make the same mistakes he did take in the past or at least that his staff will check up on him.

 

[Dark Drakan]

I just hope Peter Molyneux now that he is older and wiser will not make the same mistakes he did take in the past or at least that his staff will check up on him.

Well he had let his mouth run a little less and tried to keep his ideas in check a little more. With Microsoft pushing Lionhead to create Fable titles and the timescales being rushed between releases they just couldnt manage. Now hes out and back in an independent studio he will be in his element once again.

 

[DarkONI]

Well he had let his mouth run a little less and tried to keep his ideas in check a little more. With Microsoft pushing Lionhead to create Fable titles and the timescales being rushed between releases they just couldnt manage. Now hes out and back in an independent studio he will be in his element once again.

Eh, we will see how ol' Molly will turn out.