I have my reservations about crowdfunding, but if you provide me with a good enough argument for it, I’ll part with my money.
But damn, a decent argument can only go so far. Most importantly, show me some get-up-and-go. Show me that you’re motivated enough to set up some building blocks before asking me to open my wallet. You’re not my kids.
Enter Black Isle Studios. No, wait. Nevermind. I guess they technically don’t exist anymore. The studio has no staff or developers yet. But they’re asking for crowdfunding for it, so that they can start developing the post-apocalyptic RPG, Project V13.
Since we are no longer constrained by licensing issues, we have the opportunity to build a new IP from the ground up and there is a lot more latitude to unleash our creativity, try some new ideas and even incorporate your suggestions. Our goal at this stage is threefold: 1) prove to management that you want Black Isle Studios resurrected – and all the history and tradition of excellence that goes with it; 2) to continue to staff up BIS and complete our PV13 game design; and 3) to develop a tech demo/ proof of concept for our design that will open the doors to additional funding.
They’re not offering any physical rewards for donations, unlike other crowdfunding ventures. Donors will see no return on their investment, unless you count that warm and fuzzy feeling. Mmm, cuddly.
Waaait a sec. I lied. You’ll get a certificate of appreciation. My bad.
Donors at the $10 level will be privy to news and content before the press, via Black Isle forums. At the $20 level and above, expect “special insider status” and a nifty part of the boards inaccessible to those $10 peons. Hit within the top 20 of donors to land on the Hero Board. Each tier will receive a certificate and a forum badge. The better your tier, the better the certificate and badge. The forums are not yet up, but according to the Black Isle, they will be by late January. Contractually, however, they don’t have to have the boards up and running until July to have fulfilled their end of the bargain.
No copy of Project V13, though. The game isn’t even in development right now. Be happy with your certificate and badge.
And with that: No.
As a brand, Black Isle Studios was once associated with Fallout 2, Baldur’s Gate, and Baldur’s Gate 2 before its closure in 2003. Only two members of that team remain on with this new incarnation of Black Isle: Mark O’Greene and Chris Taylor, who heads the studio.
Source: Destructoid
Source: Black Isle Studios
