Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Apocalypse Now game starts its own crowdfunding platform after withering Kickstarter

Only raised 19.3 per cent of its $900k goal in three weeks.

The recently revealed Apocalypse Now video game has moved to its own crowdfunding platform, ApocalypseNow.com, after receiving a less than enthusiastic backing on Kickstarter.

The project was aiming to raise $900k, but after three weeks it's only amassed $173,599. The Kickstarter only has another nine days left, so it's highly unlikely it will make the remaining 80.7 per cent of its goal.

The new site won't have a strict deadline and the developer promised to update folks on the game's progress throughout the entirety of its development. The Kickstarter likely bellyflopped due to a dearth of assets, like gameplay footage, to signpost the developer's progress, so this seems like a direct response to that.

"ApocalypseNow.com will be an engaging space where fans and backers can get the latest updates, communicate with the team making the game and continue to support the project through the entirety of the game's development cycle," developer Erebus stated. "The team will rely on this dialogue with the community to help them to create an Apocalypse Now game worthy of the motion picture in every way."

Hopefully the new site will work better as the developer is now aiming to raise $5m.

"We are making a unique interactive experience with the Apocalypse Now video game - it's like Fallout: New Vegas on acid in Vietnam," said game director Montgomery Markland. "The Apocalypse Now team plans to raise $5 million to produce an authentic game that the people want to play."

Despite its early struggles to attain funding, the Apocalypse Now game has a strong pedigree behind it with devs from Wasteland 2, Torment: Tides of Numenera, Fallout: New Vegas and The Witcher masterminding it with Obsidian Entertainment's design director Josh Sawyer lending a hand as well.