Crowd-funding has proven to be a successful avenue for indie video game developers to bring their projects to life. While never a guarantee of success, sites such as Kickstarter allow traditional titles and virtual reality (VR) to go hand in hand, with some studios offering immersive support as stretch goals. Yesterday VRFocus reported on a video game version of Apocalypse Now in the works, looking to raise a hefty $3 million for VR support. Aiming for slightly more realistic goals, Shadow Knights Studio has a campaign running for its point and click adventure The Lighthouse.
Starting life almost three years ago as a 48 hour game jam project, Shadow Knights Studio decided to expand the original premise fully rebuilding the title using Unreal Engine 4. “The Lighthouse takes place in Maine in the 1960’s,” states the official description. “You play as a P.I., investigating a disappearance in a cabin perched along the shore. While playing, you will encounter environmental obstacles and challenges that, once overcome, will reveal truths about the mystery. Not everything is how it seems as you’ll soon discover the presence of something else coming for you.”
The team aims to raise $25,000 USD to fund the project, with backing tiers starting at just $1. To get a digital copy of the video game you’d need to pledge $10 or more, with the top $7,500 tier putting the backer into The Lighthouse. Whilst that first funding goal should see the project release on Steam for PC and Mac in October this year, if the campaign proves to be even more successful wider support is planned.
Xbox One and PlayStation 4 support come in at $45,000 and $50,000 respectively, with the next three goals all being VR. $55,000 unlocks Oculus Rift support, $60,000 for HTC Vive, and $65,000 brings PlayStation VR into the fold.
Shadow Knights Studio has until 7th March 2017 before the Kickstarter campaign ends, so for any further updates on The Lighthouse, keep reading VRFocus.