Games on Kickstarter have a tough reputation. While great games like Chained Echoes emerge, many crowdfunding games fail due to their overly ambitious goals. ENDS also has great ambitions, being heavily inspired by GTA 5.
What is ENDS?
- It is supposed to be a dark action-adventure with role-playing elements
- It takes place in the slums of London
- You play as Rahim, who wants to survive and improve his difficult situation with his two friends, Sonny and Reece
- Additionally, the game aims to offer difficult decisions that significantly influence the course of the story
The Kickstarter campaign is run by the new studio Concrete Realms, and ENDS represents their debut work.
But Kickstarter should be approached with caution, as there have also been flops:
MMO on Kickstarter promises “endless open world” – Turns into a huge fiasco
High ambitions in an immersive world
ENDS aims to offer a lot. The underdog story set in London, where the protagonist has to struggle, sounds exciting, especially with the setting. Important decisions and partnerships with influencers and clothing brands also sound like a clever idea to authentically represent the city.
The world is supposed to be immersive, with many opportunities to earn money and take care of people who stand in your way. Small hints in interactions and the environment are meant to provide great opportunities to achieve your goals.
Technically, Concrete Realm boasts the use of innovative technology
with buzzwords like Unreal Engine, Metahuman Animator, or Blender. However, besides a short teaser on the Kickstarter page of ENDS, there is no gameplay or story shown.
In principle, all of this sounds very good, but also incredibly ambitious, especially for a debut work from a new development studio.
Before supporting the project, it’s essential to get informed and realize that it can happen that the game never gets released and you won’t get your money back.
Concrete Realm aims to raise €11,541 and has currently raised €1,677. (As of 07.11.2023)
In contrast to other Kickstarter projects, the release date appears modest. The game is supposed to be released in December 2025 on Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series. A beta is expected to come out in the first quarter of 2025 according to the Kickstarter page.
Besides many failed Kickstarter campaigns, there are also some that seem to hit the mark:
A brilliant idea for office, Twitch, and gaming raised more than 2 million euros on Kickstarter
