Bloodstained is the Eighth Most Funded Kickstarter Ever

Lizzy Finnegan

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Bloodstained is the Eighth Most Funded Kickstarter Ever



Legendary Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi's Kickstarter campaign for the upcoming title Bloodstained has just closed at over $5.5 million, more than eleven times its original goal.

Koji Igarashi, who produced more than a dozen Castlevania titles and worked as assistant director for the iconic Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, launched the fundraiser [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iga/bloodstained-ritual-of-the-night/updates] for new title Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night with an original goal of $500,000. The campaign closed at 11pm EDT, with a total of $5,545,991.

Igarashi, known to his fans as Iga, reports that additional support through Paypal was "over $208,778," bringing the total amount of funding received to more than $5.75 million.

Bloodstained met all of its stretch goals, including one quickly added at the last moment earlier today. The campaign also became the of all time [https://www.kickstarter.com/discover/advanced?category_id=12&sort=most_funded]. It even beat out Reading Rainbow.

Iga's goal was to create a game "built on some of the classic gaming principles my works are known for." The campaign stretch goals included Wii U and PlayStation Vita [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/141071-Castlevania-Produers-New-Game-Bloodstained-Will-Receive-a-Vita-Port] ports, three playable characters, orchestrated tracks, a prequel mini-game for PC, consoles, and handhelds, and an online challenge mode. Backers of a certain amount had the option between a digital copy of the game at $28 and a physical retail copy of the title at $60.

Iga teamed up with Fangamer, the American maker of game-geek memorabilia and merchandise for the Kickstarter rewards.

"The fan response has been exactly what we hoped and expected. Everyone at Fangamer grew up participating in and operating fan communities, so we knew where to set the bar, and the fans rose to every occasion," Fangamer CEO Reid Young told me earlier today. "What we weren't prepared for was the scale. A $2 million campaign was as much as any of us were holding our breath for, so it's almost an out-of-body experience to be bracing for a $5.5 million stretch goal."

"We knew Iga was well-respected for his contributions to the gaming industry, but the fans have been *bursting* out of the woodwork to embrace him. We're honored to have played our part. It couldn't be happening to a more deserving or trustworthy creator."

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was the starting point for the Metroidvania video game sub-genre. In an implied promise to fans, Igarashi has dubbed Bloodstained an Igavania. Iga said that he's hopeful for a 2017 release.


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VoidOfOne

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And they said there was no interest in these types of games any more...

This is awesome! Glad to have contributed to this, and I do hope it lives up to expectations. It was a rush, especially seeing how it met the initial goal of $500,000 within a few hours of starting. I now just have to figure out what system I want my copies to be on...

P.S. I thought it was interesting that one part of this is not making as much news: the people working on the port to Wii U and Vita (Armature) say they are going to give out the code for the modifications they make to Unreal Engine 4 to make the games exist on those systems. If this part turns out successful, that could open many doors for other programmers to bring more games on those systems.

Then again, by the time the code is out, who knows just how much interest there will be in making games for those systems...? But a very interesting side-note nonetheless.

P.P.S. F*** Konami.
 

Erttheking

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Aw. I'm kind of disappointed I didn't get to fund it.

Aw well, I'll just buy it when it comes out.
 

Fiz_The_Toaster

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Honestly, the only reason I contributed to this kickstater was to stick it to Konami because fuck those guys.

But, I'm really glad I was able to put up some money so that Iga can make a really sweet game. From what little art and stuff that they've shown, I'm super pumped for this game and I'm really glad that Iga is now able to make the game he's always wanted.

Can't wait to see the final version. :D
 

RJ 17

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Good god, last time I checked the kickstarter it was at about 3.5 with about 60 hours to go...that's 2 million in 60 hours.

Can't wait for this to come out! I chipped in a meager amount, but I'm glad I played my small part. Wish I had enough money to get my pet Jack Russell Terrier turned into a monster for the game. :3
 

KoudelkaMorgan

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The interesting bit is that he apparently had backers already going into the Kickstarter, simply awaiting proof of public interest to fork over the goods. Now, they have that money, the crowdfunding money, and the money of all the people waiting the next few years to hand them more money for the actual game if they didn't already back it.

Meanwhile Konami keeps racking in that sweet pachinko money..
 

Aiddon_v1legacy

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Pledged $100 to it and am eagerly awaiting any new updates. Considering how Metroidvania is one of the most oft-copied styles amongst devs, it's no surprise Bloodstained got the support it did. Perhaps the level was a surprise, but not that it would be successful.

VoidOfOne said:
And they said there was no interest in these types of games any more...

This is awesome! Glad to have contributed to this, and I do hope it lives up to expectations. It was a rush, especially seeing how it met the initial goal of $500,000 within a few hours of starting. I now just have to figure out what system I want my copies to be on...

P.S. I thought it was interesting that one part of this is not making as much news: the people working on the port to Wii U and Vita (Armature) say they are going to give out the code for the modifications they make to Unreal Engine 4 to make the games exist on those systems. If this part turns out successful, that could open many doors for other programmers to bring more games on those systems.

Then again, by the time the code is out, who knows just how much interest there will be in making games for those systems...? But a very interesting side-note nonetheless.

P.S. F*** Konami.
That too; Armature has clarified they'll share code, but devs shouldn't expect support from them or Epic on the matter. However, it will make things far easier for people who want to use it on the Wii U and Vita. Plus considering how Unreal only really works in an interesting way when it's modified anyway I doubt much is lost on that front.
 

WhiteTigerShiro

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mysecondlife said:
Sad thing is, Konami probably doesn't care.
No, the sad thing is that Konami will probably still insist that there isn't enough interest for this type of game.
 

Scrythe

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Despite my better judgement, I backed it.

I look forward to the dozens of emails about unforeseen delays, and the endless Reddit bickering about mismanaged funds. Maybe we'll get a community manager who gets everyone in a tizzy over a drawing of Dracula with tits.

Oh what fun it is to ride, a ride that never ends.

It's petty, but I do like the idea of basically giving money to a Castlevania that Konami will never, ever see.

Worth it, in my opinion.
 

EndlessSporadic

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Since I have never played any of the Castlevania games and early access and "paying for a promise" are not my cup of tea I did not back this, but I am looking forward to buying this at full price when (if) it releases.
 

WhiteTigerShiro

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Scrythe said:
Despite my better judgement, I backed it.

I look forward to the dozens of emails about unforeseen delays, and the endless Reddit bickering about mismanaged funds. Maybe we'll get a community manager who gets everyone in a tizzy over a drawing of Dracula with tits.
Eh, plenty of games have been backed on Kickstarter and released just fine (with another right around the corner). Granted I couldn't tell you the ratio of backed games to successfully released games, but it's hardly a given that Bloodstained is going to have problems. Personally, I backed the $100 tier for this game. As Scruffy put it best:

Edit: Holy crap, my avatar finally works!
 

Clive Howlitzer

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It is good that it was funded but are we really celebrating that it was the eighth most funded? What is next? Such and such was the 84th most funded!
 

Dalrien

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Clive Howlitzer said:
It is good that it was funded but are we really celebrating that it was the eighth most funded? What is next? Such and such was the 84th most funded!
Breaking the top 100 and breaking the top 10 are different things.
 

Scars Unseen

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Clive Howlitzer said:
It is good that it was funded but are we really celebrating that it was the eighth most funded? What is next? Such and such was the 84th most funded!
It's also the most funded video game Kickstarter, beating out the previous champion, Torment: Tides of Numenera, by well over a million dollars.
 

Clive Howlitzer

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Scars Unseen said:
It's also the most funded video game Kickstarter, beating out the previous champion, Torment: Tides of Numenera, by well over a million dollars.
That is what I would have put in the title then. Good for them.

Dalrien said:
Breaking the top 100 and breaking the top 10 are different things.
#1 or nothing!
 

Scars Unseen

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Marxie said:
Scars Unseen said:
beating out the previous champion, Torment: Tides of Numenera, by well over a million dollars.
And this is why we can't have nice things.

And I rather like Castlevania. Still, it just can't compare on the fundamental level.
Umm... of course it can't. The reverse is also true. The things that made Planescape: Torment good and the things that made Igarashi's Castlevania games good are not the same things. Trying to compare the two at all is ridiculous from the start.
 

Dalrien

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And this is why we can't have nice things.

And I rather like Castlevania. Still, it just can't compare on the fundamental level.
We did get nice things, that being the game itself.Dun be a hayter.