Village Gamer

On October 16, 2013, almost 7,000 backers pledged their support for The Long Dark, Hinterland Games‘ first-person, post-disaster survival simulation through crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. The Long Dark surpassed its $200,000 goal and raised $256,217 (CAN).

“We’re thrilled by the overwhelming support we’ve received from fans, backers, and press over the 30 days of our Kickstarter campaign,” said Hinterland founder and creative director Raphael van Lierop in a statement. “We couldn’t be happier. We have nearly 7,000 incredible supporters at the heart of a growing Hinterland community. It’s been an intense time, and the team deserves a rest, but we’re ready to get back to working on the game. Expectations and anticipation couldn’t be higher. We’re focused and determined to create something that lives up to those expectations.”

The Long Dark’s cast includes the stellar talents of actors Mark Meer, Elias Toufexis, Jennifer Hale and David Hayter.

About The Long Dark:

Imagine the lights go out, never to return. Bright aurora flare across the sky, and all humanity’s technological might is laid to waste, neutralized in a kind of quiet apocalypse. Everything that has shielded humanity from the disinterested power of Mother Nature is suddenly wrenched from us, dropping us a few links down the food chain. Food and water are scarce. The roads are no longer safe. And winter approaches…

Welcome to The Long Dark, the inaugural title from Hinterland, a new independent game studio comprised of veteran developers from the triple-A game industry. Hinterland’s core team have collectively worked on over 40 triple-A games on console and PC, and are now turning their talents to creating an independent game—an immersive survival simulation for the PC.

Features:

• Front Seat to the End of the World. Immersive first-person exploration gameplay featuring a stunning, original art style. Take on the role of bush pilot Will Mackenzie, and navigate the savage beauty of the Northern Wilderness while you face the hazards of the new “post-digital” frontier.
• Survive By Your Wits Alone. Be on the lookout for potential supply caches, all the while using survival skills to overcome hazards introduced by harsh weather, wildlife, lack of food and water, other survivors, and the mysterious aurorae that add unpredictability to an already extreme situtation.
• Survival of the Fittest. Deep survival simulation gameplay where every decision matters. Explore a large open world in search of resources, and balance Condition and Willpower against the needs of your daily survival.
• Will You Be Saviour, or Survivor? Morally challenging scenarios that push players to answer the question: “How far will you go to survive?”. Any survivor you meet in the world can be friend or foe. Will you risk your life to discover what they know and selflessly sacrifice for the common good, or live—and potentially die—by the adage, “might makes right”?
• Explore A Living World. Rich episodic fiction featuring dozens of locations, a cast of memorable characters, and a mature post-disaster storyline inspired by the creative risk-taking seen in many of today’s exciting television series. This isn’t the end of the world, but you can see it from here.
• Master the Survival Sandbox. In addition to playing Mackenzie in Survival Story mode, experience potentially hundreds of hours of free-form Survival Sandbox gameplay. Push yourself and your skill to last as long as possible in a variety of survival scenarios.

Hinterland’s estimated ship date for The Long Dark is fall 2014.