StarCraft Universe Kickstarter Closes with Nearly $85K
The first stage in the development of StarCraft Universe has been reached.
The Kickstarter project funding Upheaval Arts' StarCraft Universe mod has concluded, earning $84,918 from 1,753 backers, surpassing the original $80,000 goal. That means the team has enough funds to release the public multiplayer test, complete Act 1 of the original storyline, and complete the final/third act. All money received above the $80K limit will be applied to the team's next goal: creating the Zerg character class with $100,000.
According to the StarCraft Universe development schedule, the team is looking to ultimately generate a clean $1 million. The development actually consists of seven stages, the first of which has now been passed. The third stage will begin when the team receives $135K in funding so that they can develop a female player model for all classes, and a PvP zone focused on vehicular combat. The fourth stage will be reached once the team receives $175K in funding, allowing them to create the second act.
The fifth stage will begin at $200K in funding, and will focus on flashback zones. The team will produce one of these every additional $25K, totaling eleven zones. The StarCraft Universe player base will even get to vote on what events are remade. Eventually once funding reaches $500K, the team will then begin updating player character models and animations, and add localized translation in Korean, German, Spanish, Russian, Italian and French.
Finally, once the team hits the $1 million funding mark, Upheaval Arts will build the entire Koprulu sector to explore, and one zone dedicated to each notable planet in StarCraft lore.
"StarCraft Universe tells a story set in an alternate reality, where the ending of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty has a grim conclusion for Kerrigan," reads the mod's description. "Without the Queen of Blades to stop the hybrid’s assault, the Protoss are overwhelmed and defeated. In this reality, what would the survivors of these shattered worlds do? StarCraft Universe tells this story."
StarCraft Universe is not a stand-alone game, but it also doesn't require potential fans to purchase Blizzard's StarCraft II game. Instead, players can download and install the free StarCraft II: Starter Edition version, click on the Arcade button in the client, and install the mod after a quick "Universe" search. The team currently has a single-player beta version of the Prologue up and running although some of the elements are still in alpha.
"Primarily, the [Kickstarter] money will be spent on the lead developers so we can produce the mod full-time just like a job," the team states. "Split among us, we are taking a VERY small amount of money for basic living expenses over the next year of production. Remember that 80,000 quickly becomes 72,000 after Kickstarter and Amazon take their share, and then there's a 26% income tax on top of that. We also have to pay our voice actors, pay for software, hardware, our musical composer, and the list goes on."
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For more information about StarCraft Universe, head here. The Starter Edition of Blizzard's StarCraft II can be acquired here.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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cypeq Terrible now even mod makers reach out to everyone's pocket... I remember times where they just did this for fun and learning experience... now oh so suddenly they can't because they need funding. It should be using donation system not fundraiser... "we make this only if you pay us enough before." It's terrible... When I go to shop at least I buy finished product not promise that they will some day make it happen if they gather enough money coz otherwise they don't move their buts.Reply
This isn't just modder activity but normal indie development. They should just drop the act of not making commercial product for profit. If you develop something like "normal job" getting paid "like normal job" is exactly making a normal commercial profit from it. -
cats_Paw Well, I belive this is not a good thing.Reply
Do they even have copyright permision to use sc2 as their engine?
Modders rearly charege anything for their work, and if they do, its AFTER its done, not before.
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samuelspark @cypeq and @cats_Paw obviously neither of you have read the article. This is nothing like a mod.Reply -
axehead15 This isn't really a mod, but more like a F2P game based on Starcraft. It's extremely exciting for true SC fansReply -
William Eddins @cats_Paw It's nothing more than a custom map in Starcraft 2, the same as the hundreds of other custom maps.Reply -
cypeq This crap started with preorders... now they want to sell games at alpha/beta stages(half of games on greenlight)... or even ask to get paid before making content like in this case.Reply
Kickstarter is a cancer. Where fools pay so someone else can make money.
And Yah blizz can pull the plug whenever they want... as in their eula. Everything modder makes it's blizzard's property. WC3 Eula wasn't that strict that's why we have LoL and DotA 2 and many others. They shut down world of starcraft mmo project made the same way 2 years ago (without bootinasser). They just told the modder we put your project to trash bin you can't develop it any futher or fine/jail/unameit kthxbai.
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WithoutWeakness Reply
The "World of Starcraft" MMO project IS Starcraft Universe. Blizzard forced them to change the name due to obvious naming rights but they didn't kill the project; they just made them rename it. Blizzard can't prevent people from developing these Arcade maps either. All they can do is remove them from the Arcade after they're posted or kill the Battle.net accounts of the people who are posting them, in which case the developers would just create new Battle.net accounts and buy new copies of SC2 with the $84K they just pulled in via Kickstarter.11524278 said:And Yah blizz can pull the plug whenever they want... as in their eula. Everything modder makes it's blizzard's property. WC3 Eula wasn't that strict that's why we have LoL and DotA 2 and many others. They shut down world of starcraft mmo project made the same way 2 years ago (without bootinasser). They just told the modder we put your project to trash bin you can't develop it any futher or fine/jail/unameit kthxbai. -
ericgunnerson <quote>Where fools pay so someone else can make money</quote>Reply
Do you realize that this is exactly how venture capital funds nearly everything you have ever paid for in your entire life? It seems like you're seeing how the sausage is made and it upsets you.