This much we now know: Gaming fans are very keen to get their hands on a brand new fantasy role-playing game with roots in old-school gameplay.
Last month, some of the people behind hit games such as "Fallout," "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II" and "Planescape: Torment" put a call out to gamers asking them to help fund a role-playing game for the PC called "Project Eternity."
And gamers responded in a big way.
On Tuesday night, Obsidian Entertainment — the independent game company behind "Project Eternity" — ended its month-long fundraising effort on Kickstarter after raising more than $3.98 million dollars from almost 74,000 donors. That makes "Project Eternity" the most funded video game on Kickstarter.
Obsidian had initially asked for a mere $1.1 million for the project, which the developers say "aims to recapture the magic, imagination, depth, and nostalgia of classic RPG's that we enjoyed making — and playing." But "Project Eternity" sprinted past that fundraising goal within a day ... and kept going. In fact, the folks at Obsidian said they have cleared $4 million, thanks to additional donations sent to them through PayPal.
As we previously reported, Kickstarter has proven to be a very successful fundraising method for video game makers in particular. In fact, game makers have had so much success this year, that Kickstarter has officially declared 2012 "The Year of the Game."
With its $3.9 million in funding, "Project Eternity" broke the $3.3 million Kickstarter record previously set by the folks at Double Fine who are now using that money to make a new adventure game. The only game-related project to have brought in more money through Kickstarter, is the Android-based Ouya game machine — which raised $8.5 million.
So what kind of game will Obsidian be making with that $3.9 million? The developers describe "Project Eternity" like this:
Combat uses a tactical real-time with pause system — positioning your party and coordinating attacks and abilities is one of the keys to success. The world map is dotted with unique locations and wilderness ripe for exploration and questing. You’ll create your own character and collect companions along the way — taking him or her not just through this story, but, with your continued support, through future adventures. You will engage in dialogues that are deep, and offer many choices to determine the fate of you and your party. …and you'll experience a story that explores mature themes and presents you with complex, difficult choices to shape how your story plays out.
You can read more about "Project Eternity" at the official website here (and donate via PayPal if you missed the Kickstarter run and want to join the fun). Meanwhile, here's a pretty spectacular looking environment screenshot from the game, which is expected to launch in 2014:
Winda Benedetti writes about video games for NBC News. You can follow her tweets about games and other things on Twitter here @WindaBenedetti and you can follow her on Google+. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the IN-GAME FACEBOOK PAGE to discuss the day's gaming news and reviews.