Joe Got Game, the studio founded by industry veteran Joe Ybarra, has announced a Kickstarter campaign for their new online multiplayer strategy game that allows players to go bodly where few men have gone before.
Titled Shackleton Crater, the game hopes to raise a minimum of $700,000, hopefully more for extra gameplay.
The studio is relying on Kickstarter based on the platform’s successes in raising money for video game releases, as many crowdfunding campaigns have stated as well.
“After many years of setting up new studios including Electronic Arts – under the private investor and venture capital model,†Ybarra commented in a press release. “I’ve been equally impressed with how the Kickstarter people have made crowdfunding so accessible, and with how fans of great game projects have participated in the process in such large numbers.â€
The game is interesting enough, combining science fiction with reality. The game uses actual lunar data from NASA to construct maps and provide a realistic experience as you coloninze the moon.
Ybarra states that his reasoning for this scientific accuracy is his need to express a vision of mankind’s future in going to the moon, which he has supported for his entire life.
“The money pledged to Shackleton Crater is not just funding for a killer game, but a clarion call to society about what we want as human beings,” he said. “We want more, and we intend to deliver not only the moon to the people of planet Earth, but other frontiers as well.”
The Kickstarter lasts for a month, and people who donate will be able to receive a number of benefits, including a T-shirt at $100, and the promise to become a character in the game at $75.
Shackleton Crater will be available on PC, iOS, and Android systems, and it hopes to be released in spring 2014.
