This week, developer PixelDash/EQ-Games revealed more details about their upcoming game, Road Redemption, including the game’s release date. Ian Fisch, from EQ-Games put out a press release about the Kickstarter funded combat racer, which reports that the game will be available for PC, Mac, and Linux on October 15 of this year, with Xbox One and PS4 versions coming January 15, 2017.
Road Redemption, which is being called a spiritual successor to the ’90s classic Road Rash, was originally set to be released in August of 2014, but Fisch explains the game’s release delay:
“We decided that since our backers have had access to regularly-patched PC, Mac, and Linux beta versions of the game, that it’s better to take our time and release something great, than to feel pressured to stick to our 2014 Kickstarter date and release something mediocre.”Fisch went on to explain how the company wanted to avoid the fate of recent Kickstarter disappointments, saying that, “We’ve seen Kickstarted games like Armikrog and Mighty No. 9 release before they were ready, and I don’t think that satisfies anyone”.
Fisch is right to be wary of delivering an unfinished product, as the overwhelmingly negative response to Keiji Inafune’s Mighty No. 9, which raised over $3 million on Kickstarter, shows.
The developer surmises that the attempt to bring Mighty No. 9 to so many consoles led to its downfall, and the studio is trying to avoid that fate for Road Redemption by cancelling the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. According to Fisch, “What happened with Mighty Number 9 shows that a potentially great game can be dragged down by trying to bring it to too many platforms.”
EQ-Games seems to be taking the smarter path when it comes to Kickstarter funding. With only a third of Kickstarter games getting a full release, while others are outright cancelled, it seems that keeping a game’s scope realistic, even if that means upsetting some backers, is key.
So far, it appears that this strategy has paid off for Road Redemption, which sold 100,000 copies while in Early Access on Steam. Currently the game has a “Recent Review Score” of 93% among Steam users. If nothing else, at least gamers will be able to play as Shovel Knight on a motorcycle in just a few months.
What other classic 90’s games should be remade?
Road Redemption for PC, Mac, and Linux on October 15 of this year. The Xbox One and PS4 versions will release on January 15, 2017.