I love Shadowrun. My editor loves Shadowrun. The Shadowrun: Dragonfall expansion even landed on PCWorld’s list of the best PC games of 2014. And a lot of you love Shadowrun too, because we’re getting more Shadowrun in August 2015.
Why am I so sure it’s coming? Because after developer Harebrained Schemes launched a Kickstarter campaign for the game on Tuesday, Shadowrun: Hong King reached its funding goal of $100,000 in about… two hours. Seriously. At the time of writing, the campaign has already raked in more than $337,000. That’s pretty darn impressive, considering there are still 34 days left to go in the campaign, though we’ll see if it tops the $1.8 million Shadowrun Returns accrued on Kickstarter.
Harebrained lowballed the bar at $100,000, saying profits from the first games funded the base 12-hour Shadown: Hong Kong campaign, with the Kickstarter money being used to increase production values and increase the size of the game. There are stretch goals listed all the way up to $700,000 so far—new companions, side missions, better sound design, et cetera.
One important note: Unlike Dragonfall, backers of the original Shadowrun Returns don’t get this campaign for free. It’s a standalone game and looks like it’ll cost $15 at launch.
Here’s the quick and dirty description, ripped straight from the Kickstarter campaign:
“HONG KONG. A stable and prosperous port of call in a sea of chaos, warfare, and political turmoil. The Hong Kong Free Enterprise Zone is a land of contradictions – it is one of the most successful centers of business in the Sixth World, and home to one of the world’s most dangerous sprawl sites. A land of bright lights, gleaming towers, and restless spirits where life is cheap and everything is for sale.
The lure of a quick payday draws you from Seattle into the neon glow of Victoria Harbor… and into a corporate conspiracy nearly thirty years in the making. A terrifying threat looms on the horizon – a supernatural force that corrupts and consumes everything it touches. Dragged into the shadows of Kowloon City, you will need to forge new connections and gain ‘face’ to survive.”
Also, there’s this beautiful tidbit that’ll make you PC enthusiasts cheer:
“Shadowrun: Hong Kong is being developed for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems only. We have elected to focus all our efforts on PC in order to deliver the best game we can without the current processing and memory limitations of tablets. This focus allows us to have higher-fidelity visuals, larger map sizes, and more stuff on screen.”
So much for all those tablet demos where they swear tablets are just as powerful a gaming platform as any console or PC.