Wild Arms and Shadow Hearts creators are teaming up for the first ‘Double Kickstarter’
The developers of cult PlayStation RPGs Wild Arms and Shadow Hearts are joining forces for what’s being dubbed the “world’s first Double Kickstarter”.
Wild Arms creator Akifumi Kaneko is teaming up with other Wild Arms veterans to create Armed Fantasia, a new RPG that pays homage to Wild Arms’ westernpunk aesthetic.
Meanwhile, Shadow Hearts creator Matsuzo Machida is leading the game design on Penny Blood, a new RPG that taps into the same gothic horror setting as Shadow Hearts did.
In what’s claimed to be a first for Kickstarter, the Double Kickstarter campaign – which launches on August 29 – will have the option to support one or both titles, with stretch goals benefitting both.
Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood will share a mutual goal of $750,000, which will fund both games.
“We will be splitting the funding based on the amount backed so it won’t be a 50/50 for the initial goal,” Kaneko and Machida told VGC in an interview.
“Still though, if we reach that initial goal, the expectation is that enough people are seeing the campaign and interested in the content that eventually both titles will do well enough to support the bare minimum of content necessary to make a good game.
They added: “The core connective tissue is both are games that JRPG fans love. It’s hard to say how many people played both but by combining both games into one campaign the goal is to raise awareness for both titles.
“Neither have been as popular as a Final Fantasy so this is two creators helping each other in an effort for both to achieve success.”
According to its description, Armed Fantasia “tells a dramatic story that unfolds in a world hurtling towards destruction.
“Players take the role of a group of Pathfinders and, with trusted ARMs in hand, embark
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