This week in MMO crowdfunding, Soulbound Studios, the team behind MMORPG Chronicles of Elyria, announced that the game was on indefinite hold and all staff had been laid off, making it by our count the highest-profile MMORPG Kickstarter to crash and burn to date. That also means the nearly $1.4M Kickstarter money from MMO players – not to mention other funds gamers had poured in since 2017 – just went up in smoke too. You probably aren’t entirely surprised, given the last few years of the game’s “stormy” development, but you can still be appalled.

In happier news, Swords ‘n Magic and Stuff racked up more Kickstarter funding, reaching The Archaeological Society stretch goal. It’s now just about doubled its ask and is set to end next week.

Meanwhile, Crowfall dropped another backer appreciation award, Ashes of Creation previewed its alpha, Shroud of the Avatar’s R76 went live, and Ship of Heroes began its “surprise” temporary open beta.

Read on for more on what’s been up with MMO crowdfunding over the last week, plus our roundup of all the crowdfunded MMOs we’re following!

Saga of Lucimia

Recent MMO crowdfunding news

Crowfall

Campaigns and crowdfunded MMOs we’re watching

3001SQ (Société des Mondes Virtuels) – Kickstarter unsuccessful, dev halted in 2018.

AdventureQuest 3D (Artix Entertainment) – Raised 368k; beta began Oct 2016.

Albion Online (Sandbox) – Launched July 2017, hit Steam May 2018.

Antraxx (Team Antraxx) – Kickstarter canceled.

Ascent: The Space Game (Fluffy Kitten Studios) – Successful KS. Fully launched 2016.

Ashes of Creation (Intrepid Studios) – Successful KS. Alpha zero.

Book of Travels (Might and Delight) – Kickstarted successfully.

Broke Protocol (Cylinder) – Unsuccessful KS. In free early access.

Camelot Unchained (City State) – Kickstarter successful; open donations/packages.

Caribbean Conquest (Invenio) – First KS canceled, second ended unsuccessfully.

Codename Reality (Orode) – Kickstarter unsuccessful.

Contested Space (Zon)

Crowfall (ArtCraft) – Kickstarter win, open packages, Indiegogo crowdfunding ongoing.

Chronicles of Elyria (Soulbound) – Kickstarter. Abandoned March 2020.

City of Heroes Homecoming (Homecoming) – Monthly donation rounds.

City of Titans (Missing Worlds Media) – Successful KS; Issue 0 delayed into 2019.

Day of Dragons (Beawesome) – Kickstarter successful.

Descent Underground (Descendent Studios) – Successful KS.

Destiny’s Sword (2Dogs) – Kickstarter successful June 2019; demo avail now.

Divergence Online (Stained Glass Llama) – Abandoned in early access.

Dogma: Eternal Night (Prelude Games Factory): Kickstarter. Probably dead.

Dragon of Legends (Thrive Games) – Successful Kickstarter.

Dual Universe (Novaquark) – Kickstarter funded, donor platform. Backer alpha.

Eco (Strange Loop Games) – Funded, now in alpha.

Edengrad (Huckleberry Games) – Kickstarter funded. Abandoned, then not, then again.

Elite: Dangerous (Frontier Developments) – Funded and fully launched.

Empyrion Online (Eleon) – Kickstarter canceled; launched on Steam early access.

Endless Trials (Fire Hurts) – Kickstarter canceled.

Epic Space (EpicSpace.net)

EverFeud (PSB) – Kickstarter canceled.

Ever, Jane (3 Turn Productions) – Now in open beta.

Fractured (Dynamight) – Kickstarter successful. Alpha 2.

Global Adventures (SubaGames) – Kickstarter funded.

Gloria Victis (Black Eye Games) – Open donations, no end date; in early access.

Greed Monger (Greed Monger) – Abandoned, now allegedly in refund process.

Grim Dawn (Crate Entertainment) – Funded and launched.

Guardians of Ember (Runewaker) – Funded and launched.

Guns of Icarus (Muse) – Funded and launched.

Hero’s Song (Pixelmage) – KS canceled; Indiegogo. Canceled w/ refunds.

Infinity: Battlescape (I-Novae Studios)

HEX (HEX Entertainment) – Funded and launched.

Legends of Aria (Citadel Studios) – Kickstarted as Shards Online. Early access.

Life is Feudal (Bitbox): Indiegogo ended. Currently in beta.

LUX (Chimera) – Kickstarter canceled.

Maestros of the Anthymn (String Theory) – Kickstarter canceled.

Maguss (Maguss) – Indiegogo successful; open beta.

Mekria (Infinity Online Studios) – Kickstarter canceled.

Midair (Archetype Studios) – Kickstarter successful.

Nebula Online (Mizar Games) Kickstarter canceled; launched in November.

Neo’s Land (NeoJac Entertainment) – Open donations, no end date.

Novus AEterno (Taitale Studios)

Oath (Ready-Up) – Kickstarter funded.

Occupy White Walls (Stikipixels) – Kickstarter ends April 21.

OrbusVR (Ad Alternum) – KS funded March 2017. In early access.

Overpower (Hydrant Games) – Kickstarter unfunded; heading to early access.

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen (Visionary Realms) – Open donations. Pre-alpha.

Pantropy (Brain Stone GmbH): First Kickstarter canceled, second funded.

Past Fate (Icy North): Kickstarter unsuccessful.

Pathfinder Online (GoblinWorks) – Doom, mostly.

Path of Titans (Alderon) – Indiegogo.

Planet Nomads (Craneballs) – Kickstarted, early access launched sans multiplayer.

Playcraft (Bebop Games) – Kickstarter funded May 2019.

Pixel Starships (SavySoda)

Project Gorgon (Elder Game) – Kickstarted in three tries + Indiegogo. Early access.

Project Oasis World (POW) – Kickstarter unsuccessful.

Pumpkin Online (Monique) – Downgrading from MMORPG.

RAW (Killerwhale) – Kickstarter canceled by Kickstarter.

ROKH (Darewise) – Kickstarter canceled; in early access but not active dev.

RUiN (Tarhead Studio) – Kickstarter successful.

Sacrament (Ferocity Unbound) – Kickstarter failed; Patreon ongoing.

Saga of Lucimia (Stormhaven) – Indiegogo. Intermittent pre-alphas.

Seed (Klang Games) – Kickstarter launching in 2020.

Shadow’s Kiss (Clockwork Throne) – Ongoing Patreon, Kickstarter funded.

Ship of Heroes (Heroic) – Kickstarter canceled, beta expected before 2020.

Shroud of the Avatar (Portalarium) – Soft launch July 2016. Launch March 2018.

Spycursion (Defun) – Kickstarter unsuccessful.

Squadron 42 (Cloud Imperium) – Beta delayed until at least 2020.

Star Citizen (Cloud Imperium) – Ongoing donations/packages. Backer alpha.

Starfighter Infinity (Ben Olding) – Kickstarter funded. Early access.

Temtem (Crema) – Kickstarter fully funded; now in early access.

The Exiled (Fairytale Distillery) – fka Das Tal; KS unsuccessful. Early access.

The Flower of Knighthood – Kickstarter canceled.

The Realm: Reawakened (Stephen Nichols) – Ongoing GoFundMe.

The Repopulation (Idea Fabrik) – Kickstarted twice by A&B. Back in alpha.

The Stomping Land (Alex Fundora) – Abandoned.

Trials of Ascension (Dragonfire) – Again! Kickstarter ends April 1st.

TUG (Nerd Kingdom) – Totally abandoned without a word. Now considered a scam.

Vigor Roads (NeuronHaze) – Kickstarter unsuccessful; early access planned for 2017.

War of Rights (Campfire Games) – Successful Kickstarter; in early access.

Zenith (Ramen) – Kickstarter successfully funded.

Ashes of Creation