It is made by some friends of mine, the extremely talented kind, and I think it is definitely worth following very closely. If you like what we do here, then should like what they do!
I don't know that there is any direct competition. They're not really making the same kind of game. There's certainly market overlap but people are going to buy 4X if they want a 4X and an RPG if they want an RPG.
For my part, I've backed The Mandate, which I'm pretty excited for. Other Kickstarters I've backed and would suggest to people interested in science fiction and fantasy:
Stasis -- Isometric, sci-fi horror, point & click adventure
Obduction -- First person, surreal, sci-fantasy, point & click adventure by Cyan of Myst fame
Star Citizen -- AAA quality space sim by Chris Roberts of Wing Commander fame
Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey -- Third person, surreal, sci-fantasy, point & click adventure, by people from Funcom, and direct sequel to The Longest Journey & Dreamfall
Pillars of Eternity -- Old-school isometric RPG by Obsidian, known for their excellent writing in pre-existing franchises (KotOR 2, Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout: New Vegas)
Torment: Tides of Numenera -- (Isometric?), sci-fantasy RPG, spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, by people from Interplay (Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Fallout, Fallout 2)
Satellite Reign -- Tactical, cyberpunk RPG and spiritual successor to Syndicate by the people that made the original Syndicate
The Long Dark -- First person, post-apocalyptic (with no zombies!), survival game by an array of industry veterans
Now, when I say "suggest," I'm not telling you to back them unless you're comfortable doing that. Stasis has an alpha demo (free to download) and Star Citizen lets you download an alpha version of your hangar and ship (after you've pledged). The other titles have screen shots and videos on the dev blogs but, otherwise, by backing a project you're gambling that the product will both be finished and be worth your money.
That said, I'm excited about all of these and think they're worth a look if you have similar taste. The Stasis demo is great. I certainly trust Cyan (Obduction) and Obsidian (Pillars of Eternity). I have high hopes for these games.
DEVSpaceTroll
Creative Director
DEVSpaceTroll
Creative Director
45 100g2g ptsReport comment
Why do you report SpaceTroll?
Are you sure you want to block SpaceTroll ?
BlockCancelAre you sure you want to unblock SpaceTroll ?
UnblockCancelTredecim
Newcomer
Tredecim
Newcomer
200g2g ptsReport comment
Why do you report Tredecim?
Are you sure you want to block Tredecim ?
BlockCancelAre you sure you want to unblock Tredecim ?
UnblockCancelVIPSharidann
Newcomer
VIPSharidann
Newcomer
16 500g2g ptsReport comment
Why do you report Sharidann?
Are you sure you want to block Sharidann ?
BlockCancelAre you sure you want to unblock Sharidann ?
UnblockCancelMODNosferatiel
Informer
"God's in his heaven, all's right with the world." Nerv Motto, Neon Genesis Evangelion
MODNosferatiel
Informer
47 300g2g ptsReport comment
Why do you report Nosferatiel?
Are you sure you want to block Nosferatiel ?
BlockCancelAre you sure you want to unblock Nosferatiel ?
UnblockCancelDarkMeph
Newcomer
DarkMeph
Newcomer
100g2g ptsReport comment
Why do you report DarkMeph?
Are you sure you want to block DarkMeph ?
BlockCancelAre you sure you want to unblock DarkMeph ?
UnblockCancelAnosogos
Newcomer
Anosogos
Newcomer
29 300g2g ptsReport comment
Why do you report Anosogos?
Are you sure you want to block Anosogos ?
BlockCancelAre you sure you want to unblock Anosogos ?
UnblockCancelVIPNasarog
Analyzer Officer
I know nothing. To learn more, come visit us @ eXplorminate.net
VIPNasarog
Analyzer Officer
36 700g2g ptsReport comment
Why do you report Nasarog?
Are you sure you want to block Nasarog ?
BlockCancelAre you sure you want to unblock Nasarog ?
UnblockCancel