Just over a year ago, developer Cyan -famous for Myst, Riven and most recently Obduction – announced a PC and virtual reality (VR) experience, Firmament. Apart from a teaser trailer, few details were given at the time other than it being a “new steampunk adventure,” and little has been heard since. Of course, that changes today with Cyan announcing a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign to bring the project to life.
Unlike other Kickstarter projects VRFocus has covered recently like Last Labyrinth – which succeed in hitting a £14,000 GBP goal – Cyan is looking towards backers to raise a rather substantial $1.3 million over the next 30 days to develop Firmament. However, Cyan is no amateur when it comes to crowd-funding for its latest videogames, with Obduction, and most recently the Myst 25th Anniversary Collection both successful Kickstarter campaigns.
So for the Firmament campaign, the studio is collaborating with Fangamer to create lots of exciting merchandise, a company which has built a reputation for creating shirts, plushies, books, prints, pins,etc.
“Kickstarter is a way for us to reach out to our fans to help us fund the types of games we like to build and they like to play.” said Rand Miller, CEO, Cyan in a statement. “Anyone who knows Cyan understands that we have always embraced pushing the boundaries of world creation. We believe that VR is part of an evolutionary step in making our worlds even more immersive. Empowering our fans to fund through Kickstarter allows us to explore these creative opportunities. Oh, and they’re gonna love this game.”
Firmament is deeply rooted in the spirit of titles like Myst and Riven, with plans to release the videogame on PC and for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive in 2020.
Explaining a little more about the experience Cyan reveals: “Firmament is an all-new story and experience, but it draws on and embraces the steampunk aesthetics (that define parts of Myst) to weave a rich and surprising narrative – with just a touch of magic. The player explores various fantastic worlds with the help of a mechanical adjunct. This constant companion gradually becomes an essential instrument as the player learns how to seamlessly interact, guide, and communicate with it, uncovering a remarkable chain of events.”
As the Kickstarter progresses, VRFocus will bring you the latest updates.