A battle commences between Jarl and humans in 'The Banner Saga 2.' (Photo : YouTube/ The Banner Saga)
"The Banner Saga" and its sequel are some of the most highly regarded indie games in recent years. However, the second game did not reach the same financial success as the first one did. Despite this, Stoic founder John Watson confirms the studio is dedicated in finishing and releasing "The Banner Saga 3," which will be the final entry in the franchise.
Kickstarter was at its height during the time the first "Banner Saga" was in development, Watson explained in an interview with Games Industry. The popularity of the crowdfunding site helped the studio raise over $720,000 for the game's development. Stoic's goal was to gain $100,000.
Watson further explained that the first game's success could also be attributed to the fact that the developers had just left Bioware, a company known for making critically acclaimed RPGs. Some of Bioware's best titles included "Neverwinter Nights" and "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic."
However, when development for the sequel started they decided not to rely on Kickstarter. Instead, they utilized the profits from the first game's launch. Halfway through development they realized they should have gone back to Kickstarter but decided to march forward without crowdfunding.
Watson acknowledged that they failed their consumers with this, particularly since they did not communicate often with their fans during the development of "The Banner Saga 2."
The second game only earned a third of the first games sales during its first month out. When the first game released there were only 70 other games launching at the same time. The sequel had to compete against 400 other titles, Dual Shockers reported.
When asked about the third and final game for the series, Watson confirmed they would finish the job. He also pointed out that while it may not sell as well as the first two titles it will help boost sales for the previous games. It is noted that when "The Banner Saga 2" launched it also boosted sales of the first game.
"We've been doing this for four years, we spent all of our retirement money, and we haven't replenished that yet. We both have kids, they have to go to college, and we can't just keep betting it all every time, because making entertainment is the riskiest thing," he stated. "We have to do it. We set out to make this trilogy. We can't leave the story unfinished."
Both "The Banner Saga" and "The Banner Saga 2" are available for PC, Xbox One, PS4, OS X, Linux, iOS and Android. A PS Vita port of the games is also in the works. The launch trailer for the second game can be viewed below:
