More than 4,000 backers have ensured The Last of Us: Escape the Dark board game will indeed be manufactured as its Kickstarter closes in on accruing triple the pledge goal asked for. Produced by Themeborne, the company asked for £120,000 of funding. However, with 23 days still left to go, it has secured just shy of £360,000. As such, the board game will be produced with a standard version (£65) and Collector's Edition (£99) available.
The Kickstarter page reveals more about the board game itself, which will task up to five players to travel from the quarantine zone to "the reputed safe haven of Jackson while keeping everyone in the group alive". Along the way, you'll complete Chapter cards which throw up various scenarios that reward information, weapons, and equipment to be used later. You can play as Joel, Ellie, Tess, Bill, Tommy, and Marlene, with little statues of them part of the Collector's Edition.
Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann comments on the board game on the Kickstarter page, explaining his love for previous Escape the Dark creations. "We're excited to see Joel, Ellie, and more of our beloved characters take on new life through stunning artwork and mechanics that immerse players in the world of The Last of Us."
With the Kickstarter still set to run for another three and a bit weeks, you've got more than enough time to secure your own copy of the board game. A £65 pledge guarantees you the standard version, with shipping expected to take place in December 2023. Further information can be found on the Kickstarter page.
[source kickstarter.com]
Comments 10
I think the cynics amongst us regarding the remake don't realise just how popular the series actually is.
yeah, pretty much the same thing happened when the witcher board game kickstarter went live. Board game kickstarters are slightly odd cases - often with high profile games, it's basically a given that the "pledge goal" will actually be reached (lets be fair, 4,000 backers = triple the pledge goal? Hardly ambitious for a high profile franchise like TLOU), the real question is how many of the stretch goals will be reached
Sounds pretty cool. I could see my brothers and I getting a kick out of this.
@BeerIsAwesome I know exactly how popular the series is - there was no doubt in my mind that the remake would do well commercially - doesn't mean I have to feel it was entirely justified to remake a game that has a perfectly good PS4 version and charge £70 for it though, but we can disagree on such things
@BeerIsAwesome No one is doubting how popular the FIRST game is, of which this is clearly based. I am very interested to see how many people would drop a 70 to see Abby in 8K.
Maybe I'm being a cynic here, but why does a boardgame based on one of the hottest playstation properties in recent years need crowdfunding? Why would Naughty Dog not fund this, especially if it's based on their IP and Druckmann's a fan of these Escape the Dark games?
@MattT3142 it's very common for boardgames to be kickstarted first because they're extremely niche. The manufacturer needs to know there's actually demand for it and they're not just throwing their money away to make it.
I'm very curious to see how this actually plays I don't play board games so this is out of my realm of understanding but it looks pretty cool.
@Milktastrophe I guess. It just gives me bad vibes, especially when Naughty Dog themselves promote the game. Why not fund it rather than have it go Crowdfund?
I think after all the negative gaming news, I'm becoming more cynical over time...
@MattT3142 the thing is, a high profile game like this is all but guaranteed to get funded - there are a lot of board game kickstarters that are more uncertain, but for the more high profile ones the question isn't really "will we get enough money to actually make the game?"
What they do do though is add stretch goals, usually for extra content packs/miniatures, so the question isn't "will we get enough money to make the game" but "how many of these extra things will we be able to make".
At this point your comment is still valid "why don't ND just fund all of the things so they can make everything they want to make" - what you're forgetting is that say ND fund the board game company to make 50,000 units - for all they know, they might only sell 25,000. They might even sell less than that. The benefit of crowdfunding for board game companies, is that you know in advance how many to make, all the sales are guaranteed, for the super duper kickstarter editions with all the stretch goal stuff. Often they then go on to make more of the board games for retail purposes (often without all the kickstarter stuff - gotta incentivise people to join in somehow) , but presumably they use the kickstarter sales to gauge how popular the board game is likely to be (and therefore how many to make)
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