Playable Worlds Announces Kickstarter to Further Stars Reach Development

mmorpg.com:

Playable Worlds is gearing up for the launch of a Kickstarter campaign to bolster funding forStars Reach, its ambitious sandbox MMORPG set in a dynamic, living galaxy. Currently in Pre-Alpha and already playable, Stars Reach offers a unique opportunity for players to actively shape the game’s journey as it progresses toward Early Access.

A Little Community Help to Pass the Finish Line

In a gaming market where private investment has grown increasingly scarce and studios are struggling to stay afloat, Playable Worlds is looking to its passionate player community to help push Stars Reach across the finish line. According to CEO Raph Koster, known for his work on a multitude of MMORPGs such as Star Wars Galaxies, the shift in how publishers and the market handle funding has necessitated this move.

“It’s time we ask you guys for help. We need your help in getting this out in your hands,” Koster explained. “We’ve worked for four and a half years without talking much about what we’ve been doing. We are not that far away from being able to call this game an alpha. It’s measured in months, not in years.”

This late-stage Kickstarter, Koster emphasized, presents a lower risk than typical crowdfunding campaigns for games still in conceptual phases. With more than $38 million already raised, and pruportedly used to its fullest to get the game in the playable state it's in, the additional funds from Kickstarter will accelerate development in critical areas such as art assets and scaling.

Rewards That Make Sense Built With the Community

True to the studio’s philosophy of maintaining fair gameplay, all Kickstarter rewards will be designed to avoid disrupting game balance or the in-game economy. This ensures that backers can support the game without compromising the integrity of its mechanics. The campaign will also feature stretch goals, with potential to bring post-launch features into earlier development stages or even introduce entirely new ideas born from the Kickstarter