The space sim genre, popularized by games like Wing Commander and X-Wing back in the '90s, is having a bit of a renaissance as of late, thanks to the power of crowdfunding. Star Citizen went on to raise more than $72 million from fans longing to once again explore the vast reaches of space in their simulated space ship. Elite: Dangerous is another Kickstarted space sim success story, one that is now coming to Xbox One later this summer.
If it wasn't obvious before, it is now: there is a big audience for these types of games, and fans are more than filling to pay far ahead of time to see these games become a reality.
It's time to add yet another to the list: Starfighter Inc, now seeking funding on Kickstarter. The talent behind it is definitely worth getting excited about. David Wessman leads the charge as the lead designer of Starfighter Inc., and his name alone should have space sim fans giddy with joy.
Wessman served as the story and design lead on the Star Wars: X-Wing space sims of old. Now he's back with a group of talented developers who have collectively worked on games like Halo 2, Crysis, Mechwarrior 2, Homefront and more.
Unlike Star Citizen and Elite: Dangerous, Starfighter Inc. will be a player vs. player title. Players will be able to customize their ships and then engage in "hard-science" driven, zero-g combat, where players can thrust and tumble their way through the reaches of space, according to real-world physics.
The team is currently seeking $250,000 to make the project a reality. That initial amount of money will see to the creation of the game and the inclusion of modes like classic dogfight, convoy escort and base assault, each supporting 16 players.
But it wouldn't be a Kickstarter campaign without strech goals, of which Starfighter Inc. has many. Upon reaching $700,000 the team promises to up the max player count to 32, add multi-seat ships and troop carrier ships that will allow for players to board enemy vessels. At $1.5 million the team will include a singe-player campaign, more ships and more game types. The list goes on and on.
The project is currently hovering around $78,000 out of its $250,000 goal, with 30 days still remaining. Chances are this one will get funded. Pledging $25 will snag you a digital copy of the game as well as a digital soundtrack and art book once the project is complete. The developers don't have much to show of the game at this early stage beyond some cool concept art and their vision, but it is definitely a title space-sim fans will want to consider checking out.
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