If there is one lesson to be gleaned from crowdfunded video game projects on sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, it’s that fans can band together to make miracles happen. Independent studio Lab Zero’s upcoming RPG Indivisible is the latest star in the cosmos of successful crowdfunded games, and perhaps one of the brightest to this date. At 12:21 AM PST, Indivisible reached its daunting $1.5 million fundraising goal on Indiegogo, which was cause for much jubilation for both Lab Zero and fans alike in the wee hours of the morning.
Indivisible’s fundraising campaign was, quite literally, a rollercoaster. The project danced over the proverbial fires numerous times as it struggled to meet its fundraising goals, only to bounce back from the abyss each time. Indivisible’s faced its first near-death experience around its original November 14th deadline, but the project was quickly salvaged by a wave of fan donations. Lab Zero received an extension from Indiegogo at the 60% mark, and feverishly continued to develop the game in spite of an abating fundraising income. With just 70 hours left until its deadline, Indivisible met its final deadline this morning thanks to the help of its fans and the word-of-mouth magic that powers the Internet.
Indivisible‘s bumpy and rather tumultuous ride to $1.5 million. The numbers on the x-axis represent individual days of the campaign. Sourced from NeoGAF’s Indivisible thread. The original Crowdcharts link is currently unavailable.
The final tally? $1,529,344 USD, raised in just 57 days.
Indivisible’s publisher and distributor 505 Games will be providing an additional $2 million, and will be matching donations up to the initial $1.5 million. Design director Mike Zaimont explains why Indivisible required such a hefty fundraiser by stating that $3.5 million is around what most indie games cost these days, after all expenses are accounted for. The full explanation can be read here.
Lab Zero CEO Peter “Ravidrath” Bartholow officially announced Indivisible‘s victory at 2:00 AM PST this morning on its Indiegogo page.
BACKERS!!! WE DID IT!
And we don’t just mean Lab Zero. We mean EVERY SINGLE PERSON who contributed, played the prototype, spread the word, and supported us throughout this long campaign.
We wouldn’t be here without you, and we mean that now more than ever.
We can now say this: INDIVISIBLE IS OFFICIALLY HAPPENING!!!
1.5 million dollars.
Nearly 25,000 backers.
And we still have 3 FULL DAYS before the campaign ends!
We’re still running to catch up and have been scrambling to get content reveal-ready!
Zaimont expressed his excitement in his own special way.
But the Indivisible train hasn’t reached its station just yet. Along with the countless hours of meticulous animation, bug testing, and programming that Lab Zero’s five-strong team will endure in the coming months, the studio is also proud to announce two new stretch goals: another hour’s worth of soundtrack composed by the legendary Hiroki Kikuta (who composed the soundtracks for Secret of Mana, Romancing SaGa, and Shining Hearts, among other titles) at $1,650,000, and an animated opening by Titmouse Animation and an unnamed “mystery anime studio” (who has yet to be announced) at $1,900,000 million.
Lab Zero will be celebrating the occasion on its Twitch channel this Friday, starting at 1:00PM PST http://www.twitch.tv/labzero .
Indivisible follows the story of Ajna, a tomboyish young girl whose home village has been destroyed by roving warlords. She sets out across lush jungles, towering mountains, and ancient ruins – replete with architecture, friends, and foes that draw heavily from Southeast Asian mythology – to confront the warlords and discover more about her magical powers. Along the way, she will build a colorful retinue of allies, called Incarnations, who will assist her in battle.
Ajna’s Incarnations, who were revealed at every $50,000 donated to the campaign, include characters from other indie titles such as Shovel Knight from Shovel Knight and Shantae from WayForward’s Shantae series. This comes as little surprise, since many of Indivisible’s animators have also worked on projects for these other indie studios.
The rest of the Incarnations can be viewed here.
Part metroidvania, part Valkyrie Profile, and many parts countless other gaming classics, Indivisible will feature both exploratory platforming and turn-based combat sequences. The two game modes will flow seamlessly between each other as Ajna traverses treacherous ruins and breathtaking landscapes alike.
A gameplay trailer showcasing some of the game’s combat can be viewed below:
Indivisible is set to release in January 2018 for Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One platforms. For now, those interested can stay informed on the game by following its official Twitter. You can also continue to donate to its Indiegogo page here, and you can play the prototype here.