One of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns to date finished on Sunday, virtually guaranteeing that the revival of Shadowrun Returns will see the light.
The game’s original creator, Jordan Weisman, turned to Kickstarter to raise $400,000. The campaign met that goal within 28 hours and went on to raise a total of $1.8 million by the time its 30 days were up, 450 percent of what he hoped for.
It’s still a far cry from the biggest Kickstarter campaign to date, in which Double Fine Adventure closed $3.3 million from more than 87,000 backers on March 13, but it’s exponentially more than the $10,000 that Kickstarter says is the average.
In fact, three of Shadowrun Returns’ 36,000 backers pledged that much individually. Kickstarter says the average pledge is $71, with $25 being the most common individually pledged amount.
With the funding beyond his expectations, Weisman said he and his team would be able to add more characters, stories, props and challenges to Shadowrun Returns. He said he has no plans to bring the game to platforms beyond tablets and PC, however.
He had been sharing video and other updates throughout the campaign. When it hit $1 million raised, Weisman posted a video in which he said, “We can’t believe it. We set out a goal and you guys have met it. You have built another city in the world of Shadowrun, and we can’t wait to bring it to life for you.”
He also said if the funding reached $1.5 million, the developers would create an exclusive mission just for donors.
Shadowrun was a role-playing sensation upon its 1989 release, a version played with six-sided dice and notepads. A mashup of cyberpunk, fantasy and intrigue, the game spawned merchandising, a card game, video games, and other elements of a franchise that faded as its licensing went from company to company. Weisman and many of its authors and designers are now working together as a game development studio called Harebrained Schemes, and he has once again secured the rights.
The stage – and financing – is now set for new fans to learn: “Shoot Straight. Conserve Ammo. And Never Cut a Deal With A Dragon.”
Related links:
Shadowrun Returns – official site
Shadowrun Returns – Kickstarter page
Harebrained Schemes – official site
VentureBeat – Shadowrun Returns raises $1.8M in Kickstarter campaign
Wired’s Geek Dad – Jordan Weisman Talks Shadowrun Returns
Geekwire – Shadowrun blows past $1M: Could this become the biggest Kickstarter campaign ever?
