Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse announced on Kickstarter
By
Mark Walton, Senior Staff Writer - Reviews
New point-and-click adventure in the Broken Sword series set for release on PC, Mac, iOS, and Android in early 2013; Revolution Software hopes to bring game to PSN, 360.
Revolution Software is asking for $400,000 on Kickstarter to fund development of Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse, a new, original 2D point-and-click adventure in the Broken Sword series. It's set for release on PC, Mac, iOS, and Android in early 2013, with a $15 pledge netting backers a digital copy of the game, along with access to exclusive digital content that includes developer diaries, game artwork, and archive videos.
Unlike the last two games in the series, The Serpent's Curse will feature hand-drawn 2D visuals, with characters that have been modeled in 3D, but outputted as 2D sprites. Artists from Disney, Dreamworks, Nickelodeon, Universal, Aardman, Sony, and 20th Century Fox are said to be working on the title, with many of the original development team, including Rolf Saxon (the voice of George), returning.
The Serpent's Curse will star George Stobbart, an American lawyer, and Nico Collard, a freelance journalist. The pair are sent to Paris to investigate the theft of a mysterious painting, but it's not long before the case turns sour, and they uncover dark forces and conspiracies from across Europe.
While Revolution is asking for $400,000 to help fund the project, the developer has already invested over $500,000 of its own money. Speaking to GameSpot, Revolution's managing director Charles Cecil explained that the studio's move to Kickstarter was based on "the strength of being able to control the development, and the finances, and marketing…when you work with a publisher that's funding a game, there are milestones to reach, which puts you into a kind of straight jacket. The great thing about doing it this way is that we can make a judgment."
Cecil also hinted at the game coming to XBLA and PSN in the future. "I'd very much hope Broken Sword goes onto PSN, or XBLA, or both", he said "The thing is, at the moment we can't make a commitment. If the project reaches its target, I'd certainly aim to be on one of those two."
For more on Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse, check out our interview with Revolution Software's managing director, Charles Cecil.
By
Mark Walton, Senior Staff Writer - Reviews
Writer, riff maker, purveyor of fine foods. Mark currently spends his days trying to overcome his small (large) obsession with high-top trainers and mobile games. He's known to respond well to Long Island Iced Tea, falafels, and karaoke, but not necessarily in that order.
27 comments
Hopefully the kickstarter keeps funding games long term, I'm not personally interested in this title, but I'm hoping if it keeps going someone will eventually try to create an original AAA title through crowd funding and it'd be interesting to see if someone could get enough people interested and pull it off without a publisher ruining everything.
As for the $500k of their own money having gone into development it's probably just the money they planned to use to put together enough of a game to get publishers interested, chances are kickstarter is the last resort after several publishers turned it down (as we all know publishers hate anything that isn't a 1st or 3rd person shooter.)
best of luck to them.
@JimmeyBurrows You're wrong . http://www.edge-online.com/news/biggest-thirdparty-publisher-wanted-broken-sword-5/
1 Like Man I love it if kickstarters were the norm in funding video games. Stick it to those pathetic publishing companies.
It's becoming a golden era for adventure gaming. Broken Sword is one of those series that deserves to be preserved! It's right up there with Tex Murphy, the Sierra games and the LucasArts games. And the sprite style was definitely preferable to any sort of 3D.
I am curious how long will this campaign will eventually reach $400,000. Some of the Kickstarter campaigns have surprised me on how quickly they were able to get funded.
As an afterthought i would also love to see Lure of the Temptress and Beneath a Steel Sky given this treatment - Though admittedly they are probably left to the brilliant one off stories.
1 Like it is ok for me to say all these guys that have such a high production studios are indie? like a lot of these guys worked for EA, Activition, Ubisoft, calls them selfs indie but then they have such high production studios asking for over $100,000 in money to fund there projects and are not really indie? what i call a indie team is very small teams that are making games from there bedroom and have a team that is making a game for free up to the point they release the game and hope the game sales to get paid, and only use kickstarter to only fund the cost of making the game, like paying for legal stuff, buying the license to software so they can release the game for commercial use, etc. All while they go to there job or school and work on making the game on there spare time. all set and done my team will only need less then 15K and thats just to buy the Autodesk programs which is $6000+ , $100to license UDK to get the game released, buy a few other software we will need that goes for $300-$800, get legal stuff done for tax reasons. in other words, Sorry if i sound mean but im starting to get pissed with these people that are part of the gaming industry for several years that are making $40,000-$60,000 or even more a year doing what they do asking for money on kickstarter and ruin it for the real indie teams that have NO WAY to get funded because AAA guys are starting to come in and use Kickstater them self's.
1 Like @msfan1289 They're "indie" because they self-publish without a publisher to finance them. They're more independent than many indie films, that receive funding from Fox or Universal. A lot of these devs haveno other jobs or have multiple employees that make the games.
A lot of smaller teams still get funded. You haven't noticed Moon Intern or Kinetic Void?
@syafiqjabar what im trying to say is "indie" teams that are part of the gaming industry for many years, have connections are well established, have the money from all the years of making games, go on kickstater asking for money, hell this article even says they put down $500,000 of there own money! that means they have the money to make the project, hell double fine productions only needed $300,000; $200,000 for the project and $100,000 for the team filming everything that goes on in Double Fine. i believe KS (Kickstater) was really meant to help fund projects for people who will never $100k or higher in there life time with out pulling out loans and selling out to investors, and in the same time not get funding because they are a big risk and dont know if the game will give those investors a good return or not. not help people that are already in the trade for many years, that have good amount of money, with connections in the industry. Hell if i have over $100,000 i wouldnt be on KS asking for money.
Brilliant to hear there is a new Broken Sword coming! I won't be backing in on Kickstarter because I don't agree with paying for the 'rewards', but will buy it day 1 for sure.
@RogRodge Umm, you know you can simply pledge 15 bucks and get the game as a reward? Which is like pre ordering it in the first place.
Why are you against rewards? It's how kickstarter works, and how many poeple attract pledges of higher value, just a way to give back something to people that put more money into funding the project.
BTW You might not be buying it day one if it doesn't reach it's goal because you don't pledge and help them.
I just dont' get why you seem to want the game/like the broken sword series but ar eagainst helping them make a new one? Seems strange to be against them offering fans rewards for helping them fund the game.
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Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse - Kickstarter Announcement
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Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse
- Publisher(s): _No Company
- Developer(s): Revolution Software
- Genre: Adventure
- Release:
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