Since 2014 The Banner Saga has brought us some of the very best examples of videogames as an art form. The love and respect of its creators for hand-drawn animation and strategy-based gameplay was made evident through the two entries we have enjoyed so far. They took us through a fantasy tale inspired by the Viking mythology, a story that was affected by our own decisions. And now, it’s time for the final chapter.
Developer Stoic has launched a Kickstarted campaign to help funding Banner Saga 3, the third entry in the famed strategy series that is being presented as the one that will bring the definitive conclusion to the story.
From today until March 8th, fans of the series can be participant in the campaign to fund the project, helping the studio reaching its goal of $200.000. Depending on how much money we are willing to invest, we will get a variety of rewards, starting with the basic $20 package of a digital copy of the PC version of the game and access to a special backer art gallery and the backers forum.
The franchise goes back to the place where everything began to conclude its story.
Other packages include digital treats such as including our name in the credits, a copy of the soundtrack, wallpapers, exclusive start screens, access to an alpha version of the battles, or a digital artbook of the trilogy. If we are willing to spend $100 or more, the rewards start getting more tangible: We can get a set of a T-Shirt, a poster and an exclusive item of our choice, themed after each of the different factions of the game: a Dredge hat, a pint glass from the Varl and a Human mug.
The top-level donations will grant us more physical items like a cloth map or a physical version of the art book, and direct contact with the developer team.
The Banner Saga is no stranger to Kickstarter, since it’s precisely thanks to the platform that the original game was funded. The unique proposal outreached its original goal of $100.000 and ended up collecting more than $700.000, making it one of the most important success stories in crowdfunded videogames.
The sequel was self-funded by the studio, but the lack of participation by the public was often pointed as one of the reasons for its disappointing sales. Now it makes sense that the franchise goes back to the place where everything began to conclude its story.
Fans have until March 8th to contribute to the cause, while the game is expected to release on December 2018.
