A week after we suggested that the Wildman Kickstarter was in trouble, developer Gas Powered Games has pulled the plug on its high profile funding drive. Wildman had already attracted half a million dollars in pledges, but with only four days to go, it appeared unlikely to reach its goal of US $1.1m.

Following a series of retrenchments at the company, charasmatic founder Chris Taylor openly stated that the future of Gas Powered Games depended on the success of the Kickstarter. It’s therefore difficult to see this latest development as anything other than a crushing blow to studio best known for Dungeon Siege.

In his final message to Kickstarter backers, Taylor revealed that he has been “working in the background to find other ways to keep Gas Powered Games running” and hopes to announce “some great news in the weeks ahead”.

Source: Kickstarter

Gas Powered Games’ Chris Taylor has bet the house on their Wildman Kickstarter, with the future of the entire company hanging in the balance. Unfortunately, with only 9 days to go the pledge drive has faltered at only $442,000 of its $1.1 million goal — and if funding continues at the current level, the project will close barely past the halfway mark.

The Kickstarter-tracking website Kicktraq is predicting that Wildman will wind up with only $634,000 at the current rate of pledging, which — according to Chris Taylor — means that the company will fold shortly afterwards. Gas Powered Games recently let go 40 staff, and is now operating on a skeleton staff.

GPG recently announced the release of some new concept art for the game, showing players what to expect and highlighting some of the key creatures and concepts. It’s interesting stuff, so take a look — and if you like what you see, head over to the Kickstarter and pledge!

Source: Thanks to Relaxed Possum for the art!

Are contracts with publishers so draconian that trusting Kickstarter and jumping into the arms of a sometimes-not-very-enthusiastic public is the only way to go? Here, we look at how exactly development contracts screw over developers, and why this makes Kickstarter so popular.

I have a friend who enjoys Vegemite and orange marmalade sandwiches. “Those two things do not go together,” I have advised her, but she munches grimly on. Am I missing something? Analogously, do I just not understand how Gas Powered Games’ crowdfunded action RPG Wildman manages to shoehorn strategy elements in? Let’s both watch this video purporting to explain the genre mish-mash and find out. Wildman has accumulated $320,000 of its $1.1 million Kickstarter goal with 20 days to go; new $5 and $10 reward tiers are available.

Source: Kickstarter

Gas Powered Games’ Chris Taylor has lashed out at publishers in an interview with Eurogamer, during which he explains that multiple times publishing companies have pulled the plug on games they’re developing — including one when it was just a month out of beta.

“We got a phone call from the publisher and they said, ‘We’re terminating.’ And we’re like, ‘Yeah but we’re only a month away from beta.’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah we’re still terminating.’ And we’re like, ‘OK,’” said Taylor.

Taylor then went on to explain that most contracts between publishers and developers for the creation of a game were so draconian that even reading one will cause your face to melt clean off.

“One of these days – and it won’t be from me,” he said, “you guys will get leaked through some anonymous source. And you can read a game development contract, and you will – it’ll be like the Nazis when they opened up The Ark: all the flesh will melt all down your face.”

According to Taylor, the solution is more publisher executives who really believe in the products they’re paying for, “people with some backbone”.

“You need people to really slam their fist; guys like Steve Jobs, you know, who are a**holes because they believe so vehemently in what they’re doing they will f***ing… f*** bending the spoon with their mind, they’ll just snatch it out of your hand and bend it in half and stuff it up your ass! Take that! Let’s get back to work!”

Gas Powered Games recently announced their action-RPG Wildman on Kickstarter, while at the same time laying off 40 people as they stake the future of the company on the new game.

Source: Eurogamer

Unless your scroll wheel is broken you probably know that Gas Powered Games issued a round of lay-offs yesterday. We didn’t have much information at the time, but the Age of Empires Online, Dungeon Siege and Supreme Commander developer has become a little more talkative in the meantime.

Christ Taylor told Joystiq that the independent company had had to let go about 40 staff, a significant number, and had to do it fast so that it could pay severance and other associated costs rather than leave employees stranded.

“I think everyone agrees better to have a few bucks to find the next job that run this train to the end and have nothing left to work with. It’s one thing for me to bet the company, but I can’t bet their last severance money, that’s not cool,” Taylor explained.

In a video update to the Kickstarter for Wildman, Gas Powered Games’ most recent (and possibly final) project, taylor spoke directly to backers, explaining the situation and – dauntingly – placing the team’s future in their hands. If the campaign picks up Steam Taylor will be ale to hire his staff back, and he’s asking commenters to advise him whether to pursue it or not.

“Do I shut the campaign down tonight, or tomorrow, and call it done? Do we kill the campaign, or do we keep it going? It’s up to you,” he said.

Source: ,Joystiq Kickstarter

Strategy veteran developer Gas Powered Games has shocked the industry today by issuing significant lay-offs.

Word first came from industry sources, but the news was later confirmed by founder Chris Taylor himself, telling Kotaku that the experience has been largely positive and he’ll be updating the public as soon as possible, and Gamasutra that he “had to slim WAY down to conserve cash reserves”.Taylor also said that Gas Powered Games “spent all the last dough” it had on Wildman, its newly announced project, and has spent “the last several months working on it”.

“So we’re betting the company on it,” he added.

The vast majority of Gas Powereewd Games’ staff is believed to have been let go. The developer is requesting $1.1 million in funding for Wildman through Kickstarter, and recently wrapped its stint as content developer for Age of Empires Online. Its past works include the original Dungeon Siege games, Supreme Commander, the flawed but promising Demigod, and cancelled passion project Kings and Castles.

Source: Kotaku

Wondering what Gas Powered Games have been up to? Well, it’s certainly not Age of Empires Online anymore, and in fact it seems like they’re diverting all their resources to their newly revealed game Wildman.

Teased as ‘Project W’, Wildman is an action-RPG which apparently combines RTS elements such as army building and control, and features you as an early, barbaric human, uh… well, smashing things. A lot of them. As is the fashion these days, it’s a Kickstarter-powered game and they’re asking for $1.1 million — and they’re already over $60,000 into it.

Check out the video below to see what they’re planning and check out some of the talent involved — including legendary game composer Jeremy Soule.

“ProjectW” is now being teased over at Gas Powered Games, where we’re asked if we’re “Ready for Something Wild?”.

“Be the first to see the next big thing from the designer of Total Annihilation, Dungeon Siege, Supreme Commander, and the team at Gas Powered Games,” claims the site, which is counting down to January 14.

From the word “wild” and the general aesthetic of the page, something low-tech or medieval comes to mind — but we’ll just have to wait and see. You may now commence wild speculation!