![]() ![]() ![]() Obviously, there’s been a lot of details in the last six years, but what we’re trying to achieve has stayed really similar to our original vision, which is gratifying,” said Thomas. “I’m actually really happy that the foundation that we started with - when I was originally talking with Arnie about what kind of story we wanted to tell - really hasn’t changed that much. And for the most part, it stays true to Stoic’s original plans from 2012. Watson described it as a more urgent and intense situation than in previous games. “We are able to offer things like very early access to the alpha, access to the battles so they could see some of the new battle types and new features we’re adding and get feedback from them.”īanner Saga 3 picks up immediately after Banner Saga 2, where one half of your tribal caravan is fighting for survival in the human city of Arberrang, while another group is trying to undo the dark curse plaguing the world. “The Kickstarter raises some funds to supplement the budget of the game, but it also creates this great locus of energy for everyone to gather around and creates communication channels and dialogue with the players,” said Watson. The campaign was another rousing success, doubling their initial goal with a total of $417,000 from 8,000 backers. The studio also returned to Kickstarter in early 2017 to add more features to BS3, like more animated cutscenes, voice-overs, playable characters, etc. While working on Banner Saga 3, the team grew from six to 14 full-time staff members, partly because they wanted to do a simultaneous worldwide release on multiple platforms. ![]() Stoic released a sequel two years later, skipping the crowdfunding route in favor of hunkering down and making the game with the money they already had. The three cofounders worked with contractors to release the first Banner Saga in 2014, which became a critical and commercial success. “So the players’ expectations played into it, people read into the pitch and saw a lot of potential, and of course we had to raise our own expectations … we had to rise to the occasion to make this game that was far more ambitious than we had initially planned.” “The Kickstarter also allowed us to collaborate with some really good people like Austin Wintory, KPOW, and Powerhouse*, but it also raised expectations,” said Watson. The additional resources convinced Stoic to increase the scope of what would have been a modest RPG. The company became one of the early success stories for game developers on Kickstarter, ultimately collecting more than $720,000 from 20,000 backers. Stoic turned to the crowdfunding platform to raise money for the first game, and the results wildly exceeded their expectations. No matter what, they had to release something at the end of that year - “come hell or high water,” according to Watson.īut everything changed with Kickstarter*. The team thought they could complete the first title in a year, which is how much development time they budgeted for themselves (they were living off their savings). ![]() At the time, they mapped out the overall arc of Banner Saga’s ambitious storyline, and decided to split it across three games. It’s a dream come true for John Watson (programmer), Arnie Jorgensen (art director), and Alex Thomas (lead writer), the three developers who left BioWare* in 2012 to found Stoic. The narrative choices players made in the first two Banner Saga will carry over into the final installment, fulfilling Stoic’s goal of creating a branching story with permanent consequences. The indie developer is on the verge of releasing its third huge game in six years, and it’s already starting to prepare for its next project.Ĭoming to PlayStation 4*, Xbox One*, Nintendo* Switch, and PC on July 26, Banner Saga 3 marks the end of a trilogy of strategy role-playing game (RPG) that mix Vikings and Norse mythology with tactical combat and gorgeous 2D animation. Most game companies would kill to have the kind of output Stoic* has. Access more game developer news and recent updates. The original article is published by Intel® GameDev Program on VentureBeat: Banner Saga 3: How a Small Team Created an Epic RPG Trilogy. ![]()
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