alex-thomas
Latest
BioWare vets' Banner Saga Kickstarter a massive success, one day left to support
"This Kickstarter has renewed my faith in humanity," Stoic Games' John Watson said in the upstart game company's latest video update, addressing the successful funding of Stoic's project, "The Banner Saga." His company just raised well over its original goal, and he's understandably elated. Stoic Games is comprised of three self-described game industry vets (their latest digs were BioWare's Austin studio), though the studio is hiring a few more positions in light of its recent Kickstarter success.The project, which aimed to raise $100K, now has over $620K banked with another 32 hours to go (as of this writing). All that extra money means that the Stoic Games trio can give The Banner Saga a fully orchestrated soundtrack composed by Journey songsmith Austin Wintory.As one last push, Stoic is offering Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network ports of the game should the team reach $650K. If the Kickstarter reaches $700K, Stoic promises to include a feature it had to cut from the game: player-run, upgradeable cities. Are you way into being a virtual mayor? Now is the time to donate, then!Wondering what you're getting into? The project's pitch video is available just below the break.
SWTOR devs leaving BioWare to make indie game
What's next for BioWare's Arnie Jorgensen, Alex Thomas, and John Watson? A new RPG/RTS hybrid called The Banner Saga, according to Kotaku. The trio spent the past half decade slaving away on Star Wars: The Old Republic, and now they're striking out on their own to make an indie title described as "roleplaying meets turn-based strategy, wrapped into an adventure miniseries about vikings." Watson was SWTOR's lead combat programmer, while Thomas and Jorgensen filled the senior environment artist and lead concept artist roles, respectively. The trio has formed an indie studio called Stoic, and the company's maiden offering is apparently "coming soon."
