Torment Breaks Kickstarter Record

[IanDavis]

Torment Breaks Kickstarter Record

At almost $4.2 million, Torment: Tides of Numernera has raked in more cash than any Kickstarter yet.

The next development cycle seems to be in favor of the CRPG. After Double Fine showed the world that Kickstarter can fund games, everyone crawled out of their nostalgic caves to birth their game ideas. Wasteland's coming back, Shadowrun's getting a real RPG for once, and Obsidian's returning to their roots with Project Eternity. It was only a matter of time before someone cast 'Resurrect' on the most buxom of RPG darlings, Planescape: Torment. Within six hours, inXile Entertainment met their $900,000 funding goal. After a month, it's raised a staggering [a href=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/torment-tides-of-numenera]$4,188,927[/a], beating Project Eternity previous record of[a href=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidian/project-eternity]$3,986,929[/a], and making it the most-funded Kickstarter so far.

Along with massive funding comes massive stretch goals. Here's a taste of what you can expect from this new super-sized Torment:

[ul]
[li]Writing by DnD vet Monte Cook.[/li]
[li]A crafting system "that includes some puzzle-solving elements (though not what you'd call a mini-game) and that is tied into the world and narrative."[/li]
[li]Windows, Mac, and Linux releases.[/li]
[li]More characters, areas, and a much longer story.[/li]
[li]Legacy and Tide systems, which promise to enhance the consequences of choices and the reactivity of the world.[/li]
[li]More companion interactivity.[/li]
[/ul]

Shedding its Dungeons and Dragon's license, Torment takes place in Numernera. Created by Monte Cook, Numernera comes from the same odd vein as the original Planescape setting. Essentially, it exists to break, shatter, and twist traditional fantasy RPG stereotypes. It also serves as a framework for an assortment of moral and philosophical quandaries. Headed by Interplay vet Brian Fargo, inXile is also making Wasteland 2 which is due out later this year.

Even though the Kickstarter campaign has ended, you can still pre-order the game via the [a href=https://torment.inxile-entertainment.com/store]official website[/a].

Source: [a href=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/torment-tides-of-numenera]Kickstarter[/a] via [a href=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/04/06/anti-shock-torment-now-most-funded-ks-game-ever]Rock Paper Shotgun[/a]

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[Legion]

It beat my estimated total by $1.2 million, I am impressed at how well it did, as well as pleased.

I have never been that into fantasy as a genre, but this does look interesting, so I am glad I backed it. Although it does feel strange effectively pre-ordering a game over two years before it's release.

 

[sid]

just a correction, it actually went over that kickstarter number because some of the people prefer donating directly through PayPal. I'm not entirely sure why, but they say they came really close from their last stretch goal

 

[Goofguy]

As a frequent Kickstarter contributor and browser, I am shocked and amazed that I hadn't seen this until now. Massive fail on my part, I would have contributed to this in a heart beat.

 

[FEichinger]

Not all as much as I expected, but still impressive.

Avellone did it again.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

why does it seem like kickstarter breaks a new record every week?

 

[Scars Unseen]

Of course, this is only a Kickstarter record, not a crowd funding record. Star Citizen beat that number handily, but over half of the pledges were made directly on their site instead of through Kickstarter.

 

[IanDavis]

just a correction, it actually went over that kickstarter number because some of the people prefer donating directly through PayPal. I'm not entirely sure why, but they say they came really close from their last stretch goal

If you want to count donations outside of Kickstarter, Star Citizen takes the cake with $6 million, but as far as actual Kickstarter official donations go, Torment has the record. I hope they'll apply those extra donations to the stretch goals!

 

[OniaPL]

Would have chipped in, but I kicked in for Project Eternity and Wasteland, and I don't want to fund anything else before I get my hands on those.

 

[Dr.Awkward]

I know they are an established company, but Kickstarters like this are starting to get me concerned. Nostalgia has become too easy a lure - It's become a boon to indie start-ups who doesn't have the experience to make a truly innovative game, a known developer like inXile, or a major publisher like Capcom, as it's well-known what to do and what not to do.

But that's not what concerns me. They, and many other developers, are just selling people a big concept that's not easy to determine if it could be a success or not - nothing to really take a very deep look at and decide if that premise would make a good game and is able to be a success. For instance, if you want me to fund your project, I'd prefer it if you have a basic proof-of-concept game outlining what I might experience in-game available for me to play instead of just a background story and a lot of concept art, because if you consider the average person, it's going to be very hard for them to tell if that project is even possible to do with the cash you want. Tell me, how many people are still interested in Wasteland 2 after seeing the first gameplay videos? How many people kept playing FTL after beating the boss? Someone needs to raise the bar so that people ask for more than just some story and concept art to determine if it is worth the endeavor, be it done by a developer or Kickstarter themselves.

 

[lacktheknack]

They somehow yanked $138 from me.

I think I regret nothing.

Tell me, how many people are still interested in Wasteland 2 after seeing the first gameplay videos?

All of the backers. All of them.

How many people kept playing FTL after beating the boss?

Literally every single FTL player I've talked to who's beaten it (I know a lot of FTL players). There's no reason to stop, because beating the boss results in another ship, which allows for new strategies and fun.

Someone needs to raise the bar so that people ask for more than just some story and concept art to determine if it is worth the endeavor, be it done by a developer or Kickstarter themselves.

Many of these Kickstarter projects have nothing more than concept art, a story and some names, and thus can't offer any more. The entire POINT of Kickstarter is to turn those items into something more.

I have literally no idea where any of your logic is coming from.

 

[Jake Lewis Clayton]

just a correction, it actually went over that kickstarter number because some of the people prefer donating directly through PayPal. I'm not entirely sure why, but they say they came really close from their last stretch goal

If you want to count donations outside of Kickstarter, Star Citizen takes the cake with $6 million, but as far as actual Kickstarter official donations go, Torment has the record. I hope they'll apply those extra donations to the stretch goals!

8.5* million.

 

[Ishal]

It even has Pat Rothfuss and Avellone writing for it now.

This games story should shatter the fabric of worlds. I'm glad I backed it and can't wait.

 

[Dinasis]

Great. Record set. Now go give Divinity: Original Sin some love at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/larianstudios/divinity-original-sin/ because "NPC Schedules, Day/Night Cycles, Weather Systems" would be awesome if it hits the $1M stretch goal.

 

[Entitled]

I know they are an established company, but Kickstarters like this are starting to get me concerned. Nostalgia has become too easy a lure - It's become a boon to indie start-ups who doesn't have the experience to make a truly innovative game, a known developer like inXile, or a major publisher like Capcom, as it's well-known what to do and what not to do.

I wouldn't say that longing for an entirely forgotten subgenre's revival, is the same thing as the "nostalgia" that makes people love things solely because they are old.

There have been plenty of KS projects that failed to succeed with nostalgia alone. Shaker (the "Old-School RPG"), Alpha Colony (M.U.L.E.), Nexus 2, Bad Dudes 2, etc.

It's not as if there is a simple button to push about getting money trhown at you, even if the large publicity of the successful ones seem to imply that. There *IS* a bar, and fans are willing to let only a few certain titles and developers behind it, that's promises are interesting enough.

Tell me, how many people are still interested in Wasteland 2 after seeing the first gameplay videos? How many people kept playing FTL after beating the boss? Someone needs to raise the bar so that people ask for more than just some story and concept art to determine if it is worth the endeavor, be it done by a developer or Kickstarter themselves.

Are you implying that FTL was not worth it in the end? Because you are entitled to believe that, but it probably wouldn't resonate well as a debate point against... pretty much anyone.

And of course a mid-development project like Wasteland 2 is less hyped than the sudden promise of a genre being resurrected, especially after a year of cynical debate about Kickstarter's concept.

 

[FFP2]

Nostalgia makes people do crazy things...

I want a sequel to NOLF2 dammit! Kickstart that shit!

 

[Lazy]

Nostalgia makes people do crazy things...

I don't think wanting to see an under-served genre be revived is necessarily the same as nostalgia. I, for instance, haven't played any of those well regarded isometric RPG's of old outside of the Fallout series (and I played Fallout 1 & 2 for the first time in 2008) and I'm still very excited for both this and Wasteland 2.

 

[FFP2]

I don't think wanting to see an under-served genre be revived is necessarily the same as nostalgia. I, for instance, haven't played any of those well regarded isometric RPG's of old outside of the Fallout series (and I played Fallout 1 & 2 for the first time in 2008) and I'm still very excited for both this and Wasteland 2.

I was kidding If I had cash to spare I would back all the old school Kickstarters.

 

[IanDavis]

Glad these guys did well..
But it still pisses me off that they are just making more of the same.. sure maybe CRPGS have been dead for a while, but still it's technically only a *genre reanimation*
I hesitate more and more about how kickstarter has become a fame-centric platform, while other conceptually excellent projects go under without anyone knowing about them.
While we are at it, take a look at PULSE, it's got 5 days to go, and hasn't made it to a much more discreet goal, even though their premise is extremely interesting (a lot more interesting than MOAR CRPG)....