Dreamfall-Chapters
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Slip into the Dreamfall Chapters trailer for Book One: Reborn
Red Thread Games recently reverted to its original plan of releasing Dreamfall Chapters as an episodic series, and that kicks off with Book One: Reborn this autumn on PC, Mac and Linux. Dreamfall Chapters is the "long-awaited return of a classic adventure game series," according to one particularly handsome website. [Image: Red Thread Games]
Dreamfall Chapters is episodic, Book One due in November
By the time Red Thread Games launched its Kickstarter for Dreamfall Chapters in February, the studio had ditched its initial idea of developing an episodic adventure. Intentions aren't written in stone however, and an update from this week explains that Chapters will be episodic in its delivery after all. The switchback is meant to accommodate Red Thread's full vision for the game while still having something to offer fans in November, the launch date Red Thread had projected in its Kickstarter campaign. While the full adventure won't be ready at that time, Red Thread expects Book One, Chapters' equivalent of an episode, will be. Aside from an episodic release schedule allowing Red Thread to do a more thorough application of polish, the team also hopes to "start generating income" with Book One, which will "go right back into improving the quality and scope of subsequent books." Backers will still receive all episodes and rewards related to their pledge level, but a season pass will also be offered to newcomers on Steam, Good Old Games and the Humble Store. We recall a similar situation with Double Fine's Broken Age, which was split in half in order to use revenue from season passes to finish development of its second chapter. Given that Double Fine's plan totally worked though, we can see why Red Thread Games would try the same strategy. [Image: Red Thread Games]
Dreamfall Chapters on a long journey to Wii U
Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey will be coming to Wii U, Red Thread Games confirmed to Edge. The game was a resounding success on Kickstarter, hauling in over $1.5 million in March 2013. While the crowdfunding project didn't have a stretch goal related to Wii U development, Creative Director Ragnar Tornquist said Nintendo approached the developer in late autumn last year about porting the game to Wii U, and were the first console holder to do so. "At that point, however, we weren't ready to make any commitments regarding engine and platforms, so we decided to wait," Tornquist said. "We got back in touch with Nintendo in late May of this year, and they were very interested in working with us." Red Thread Games hasn't indicated when Dreamfall Chapters will come to Wii U, but it is slated to launch on PC, Mac and Linux in November 2014.
Dreamfall Chapters gets a richer world and full trailer treatment
This trailer for Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey sets the tone for the adventure players will embark on in November 2014. Red Thread Games' Kickstarter project recently hit its $1.15 million stretch goal with six days left in its campaign, granting the game an improved soundtrack and in-game gallery.Of course, that means the project also landed its $1.1 million "Storytime" stretch goal, which will provide players with an interactive novel that retells the stories of The Longest Journey and Dreamfall.
Dreamfall Chapters Kickstarter goes live, aiming for Nov. 2014 release
The Kickstarter campaign for Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey launched this morning, and Ragnar Tørnquist's Red Thread Games hopes to conjure at least $850,000 in funding through it. That's the amount the Norwegian developer envisions will be enough to bring the Dreamfall sequel to a digital launch on PC in November 2014.Although Red Thread secured $175,000 via the Norwegian Film Institute to help resurrect its classic adventure series, the developer revealed it was planning a Kickstarter campaign soon after announcing Chapters. Red Thread says it needs the additional funds to expand its development team, acquire hardware and software licenses, and for other base costs.Chapters sees players reprise the role of Dreamfall heroine Zoë Castillo, taking her back to the twin worlds of Stark, and its science-heavy cyberpunk motif, and Arcadia, a magical and capricious reflection of the human world. Chapters introduces a new landscape too, Storytime, which Red Thread describes as a "mysterious dreaming realm... where every story begins, and where dreams come to life." Chapters also continues the storyline of The Longest Journey protagonist April Ryan, answering the question hanging over her fate from the previous games.Red Thread announced this week it's partnering with Blink Studios on Chapters, meaning Christer Sveen, art director on Dreamfall, is now on board. Chapters also welcomes back to the series Dreamfall co-writer Dag Scheve.Red Thread has yet to outline any stretch goals. The developer is offering a variety of game editions through various pledge rewards, but the base cost to secure a copy of the game is $20 for 5000 early-bird funders, or $25 for those who aren't so quick on the pledge button.%Gallery-178358%
Dreamfall Chapters production to be funded by Kickstarter
Dreamfall Chapters is the long-awaited return of a classic adventure game series, so you've probably already guessed that it'll be funded by Kickstarter."We will be doing a Kickstarter," creator Ragnar Tørnquist told Rock, Paper, Shotgun. "Not right now, but we will be doing it in the near future, simply because although we received a grant from the Norwegian Film Institute, which was announced today, that is only for the preproduction phase. That allows us to get started on a prototype but in order to fully develop Dreamfall Chapters we're going to need more money and we will be going to Kickstarter."The new studio working on Dreamfall Chapters, Red Thread Games, will be "completely independent of Funcom," Tørnquist said, though Tørnquist will continue to work as creative director on The Secret World for Funcom, and the two companies will share revenue from Dreamfall.
Ragnar Tørnquist returning to his roots with Dreamfall Chapters
In September Funcom announced that Joel Bylos was taking over Ragnar Tørnquist's position of game director for The Secret World, leaving many of us wondering what the mastermind behind the renowned The Longest Journey series was getting up to. Well, now we finally know, and fans of TLJ will certainly be pleased to discover that Tørnquist is returning to his roots. Today, Ragnar announced that his new studio, Red Thread Games, is commencing development of Dreamfall Chapters, which will continue the story that began with The Longest Journey over a decade ago. Rock, Paper, Shotgun has posted a new interview with Tørnquist detailing what lies ahead for the world of Dreamfall and how Ragnar's new gig will affect his work on The Secret World (spoiler alert: He's remaining on the TSW team as Creative Director), so whether you're an avid adventure gamer or a die-hard fan of TSW, it's certainly worth a read. For all the juicy details, just click on through the link below to get to the full interview.
Dreamfall Chapters completes The Longest Journey to pre-production
Dreamfall Chapters is finally in pre-production, five years after first being announced by Funcom as a sequel to Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. The long-hoped-for Chapters is being developed by series creator Ragnar Tørnquist at new studio Red Thread Games. Tørnquist is maintaininig an "advisory role" as creative director on Funcom MMO The Secret World, with Joel Bylos stepping up as game director.Funding and production are being handled by Red Thread, with Funcom licensing out the IP with an agreement to share revenue. Tørnquist revealed today The Norwegian Film Institute has provided $175,000 to assist Red Thread with pre-production.In 2008, Tørnquist admitted Chapters was far from Funcom's highest priority, but hadn't been abandoned. Four years on and with The Secret World now released into the wild, Tørnquist has kept his word.
Dreamfall Chapters still coming, 'on the back burner' for now
It's been over a year since Funcom announced Dreamfall Chapters, an episodic and digitally distributed continuation of Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, and even longer since players were left digging their fingernails into the dirt and hanging on for dear life at the edge of a narrative cliff. Is April Ryan still alive? What's happening to Arcadia? Is Zoë coming back? Find out ... eventually!"Dreamfall Chapters - and, by proxy, The Longest Journey - isn't Funcom's highest priority at this point," writes series author and designer, Ragnar Tørnquist, on his latest blog entry. With Funcom staff frantically working on the newly launched Age of Conan, upcoming MMO, The Secret World, and "other games in various stages of development," it seems Dreamfall's continuation has been given the finger. No no, not that one -- the one you show when you're on the phone and need someone in the room to just hold on for a second, okay?Tørnquist goes on to explicitly state that Chapters "is currently on the back burner - but it hasn't been abandoned." He should be relieved to know that while people hanging from cliffs probably aren't the most patient types, their predicament prevents them from angrily tossing things at him.
