Blitztream Games has announced a new crowd-funding campaign for the iOS game Third Epoch. The game is expected to hit the App Store this coming Fall. The crowd-funding campaign will launch on Indiegogo to raise funds to complete the story arc with rewards for backers that includes special in-game items, a full-color book and much more. Read on.From the Press Release
Blitztream Games -- the new Toronto-based game developer that believes games can be a lens through which to invoke human potential and advocate positive behavior -- is crowd-funding its new iOS game, Third Epoch, which will hit the App Store in the fall of 2013. The compelling debut title challenges players with epic themes and socially relevant story-lines in a thoroughly imagined fictional universe.
“Gaming is a huge 33 billion-dollar industry,” said Adam Oliveira, co-founder and chief game designer, Blitztream Games. “A lot of companies in the mobile space are simply making cheap disposable games. We have a different mission. We see games having the same artistic responsibility as literature and film. There’s enormous potential for games to have a very positive influence on how we envision and consequently create the future.”
Crowd-funding to take game to market
Mr. Oliveira is a veteran creative director whose vision for Blitztream is to build a gaming company with a soul. The company is launching an Indiegogo campaign in September to raise funding for the completion of the first major story arc. Backers can sponsor the project for a minimum of $1 or up to $2,000. Rewards include in-game special items, augmented reality coasters and posters, a full-color book, and opportunities to co-create characters and stories. Communications support for the crowd-funding campaign is provided by Toronto-based public relations agency, The Siren Group, and US-based EVOLVE.
Augment, play, transcend
While games have become increasingly sophisticated in their technology, there has been a steady erosion of creativity. Big publishers pour millions of dollars into games that fall into a long line of unoriginal sequels. As with Hollywood studios, a low tolerance for risk leads companies to stick to franchises with track records that guarantee predictable margins. Breakthrough games, therefore, rarely emerge from mainstream publishers. Blitztream is tackling this head-on with Third Epoch to, literally, change the game.
“There's an even bigger gap for this in mobile, currently the fastest growing gaming platform,” observed Mr. Oliveira. “People often mistake leading-edge 3D graphics for art. They’re not necessarily synonymous. Most of those don’t communicate an idea or story.”
Independent and unfettered by conformity
Freedom and creativity were fundamental to the culture Mr. Oliveira wanted to foster in his company. It was therefore a conscious effort to operate like an indie startup while the first game was being created. It is designed around the familiar concept of a space trader, but other than that, it breaks all the typical rules. It has a unique 2D graphic style. The missions are designed to tell real sci-fi stories. Instead of just amassing power or grinding through levels, players explore 16 different character alignments that reveal 16 different perspectives to the game. Combat, which Blitztream refers to as tactical, is about outsmarting rather than destroying.
“Being indie means lean budget, but it also means freedom and necessity to break the mold,” he explained. “It makes the game incredibly original.”
Initial reaction is stellar
Early beta testing has helped to validate many of the design assumptions and to correct flaws.
“Five minutes into the game, I was immersed,” remarked Jonathan Wong, chief creative officer, Newsana (Newsana.com). “3D is so 2010. Stylized 2D is in. The minimalist graphics focus on visual elements that matter and oddly do more to take you out of this world than the over-rich mayhem typical in many other games out there. It has a turn-based combat with real-time replay that’s surprisingly addictive. This is the first time I’ve seen a mobile game so deeply and thoroughly imagined,” he added.
About Blitztream
Blitztream believes games can make the world better. Their games are a lens through which to advocate human potential by reinventing gaming paradigms to emphasize constructive achievement, creating a fictional universe where one can explore important social themes in a playful context, and enabling tactile play through digital augmentation.
To learn more, visit the official Blitztream Games website.