Crowfall starts on July 6 after 6 years of development.

Well, in MMORPGs, the destination is often not as important as the journey, and in Crowfall, the recent announcement of their July release signals not the end of that journey for ArtCraft entertainment, but the beginning. In a founder’s update published on the same day of the announcement, Crowfall’s creative director and co-founder, J. J. Smith, wrote:Todd Coleman provided a modest blog about the victory circle, in which he described the team’s challenges, achievements, and how the ArtCraft path was right for them.

On July 6, Crowfall launches after 6 years of development, signaling an extraordinary victory not only for the game’s fans, but for MMO Kickstarter supporters everywhere. ArtCraft joins only a small handful of development teams that have moved their Kickstarter MMO to release status. These currently released games include Shroud of the Avatar and Elite: Dangerous, while many Kickstarted MMOs that were successfully funded before Crowfall are still in various stages of development, such as Camelot Unchained and City of Titans, both of which were funded in 2013. Coleman acknowledged that while Crowfall may not be for everyone, the way ArtCraft evolved was unique to them. ArtCraft took risks, and in the MMO business, taking risks is pretty risky.

“There’s a reason why these games have come into the standard design. In business and in life, innovation means risk, and risk is scary. Risk is expensive. The risk is unpredictable. Risk makes your schedule unstable. Taking risks means trying ideas that may not work at all. Crowfall is now ready for the next step in its evolution, “going live” – but let me be very clear. I’m not going to announce today that ” we’re done” Crowfall or call it “done”. This game never ends. The online world will never be finished. I think even the word “launch “is a misnomer, because” going live ” is not the end of the journey, it’s the beginning. ”

– J. R. R. Tolkien Todd Coleman, Director and Co-founder of Crowfall

Crowfall features 11 different classes, 12 different races, massive battles for the throne, and unique worlds where players will directly influence and change them forever. Players will have thousands of options to choose between their talents, abilities, and disciplines. During the development of Crowfall, the game never required an NDA and encouraged streamers and content creators to take an active part in building a community. With more than 10,000 unofficial Reddit subscribers and more than 400,000 hours of watching Crowfall on Twitch last year, a maximum of 21,000 viewers, this may signal that while Crowfall may remain a niche game, it is a niche that has found a following. However, Coleman also seems to understand that simply finding his niche and launching a game cannot and will not portend unlimited success. Coleman thanks all the sponsors who have brought the team to this point, and ends by asking that the players continue to interact with the ArtCraft team.

“Your support has helped us get this far, but we have one more request. If you want to see more of this – more gaming companies taking risks-help us prove that this model works. Tell people about our approach. Tell them about Crowfall and how we created this game together. Spread the word. Invite your friends. Create a guild. Build an empire. But most importantly, play and have fun.And of course, keep talking to us! Let us know how we can improve the game, make it even more fun, what we need to add to keep you playing for years to come. We are proud of Crowfall and the company we have built. From all of us at ArtCraft, thank you for helping make Crowfall a reality.”

– J. R. R. Tolkien Todd Coleman, Director and Co-founder of Crowfall

With thousands of new players invited to the beta to try out the game ahead of the July release, we hope that ArtCraft will find the success and engagement they are looking for.