Apocalypse Now dev raises target after Kickstarter failure
Erebus now calling for $5.9m via direct donation, despite only raising $173,000 with crowdfunding campaign
Some creators simply do not accept failure, and it appears games developer Erebus is one of them. After it failed to reach its crowdfunding goal for an Apocalypse Now video game, it has increased its target sixfold and switched to receiving pledges directly.
The Kickstarter campaign launched in January with a target of $900,000, but only managed to raised $173,000 - less than 20% of its goal - by the final week. Now Wired reports Erebus is calling for donations through the Apocalypse Now site, with the target raised by more than six times to a whopping $5.9m.
At the time of writing, the studio has received almost 500 pledges amounting to $170,000 - just short of the original campaign. The end-date for the crowdfunding drive is May 19th, 2018. No backers will be charged unless Erebus reaches its target.
Current backers will be entitled to more rewards through the new, long-term campaign, while those who have yet to pledge with have the option of even higher tiers - the biggest being $1m, which (in addition to all lower rewards) gives backers a 'Physical Installation Edition', the chance to spend a month with the development team, an adventure holiday, a prop from the film and a "surprise reward".
The project has the backing of the film's director Francis Ford Coppola and his production company and is positioned as a Fallout-style first-person RPG. Erebus has recruited developers that not only worked on Fallout, but also Battlefield, The Witcher and Gears of War.