Crowfall
A Throne War Simulator with procedurally generated, seasonal worlds.
Crowfall was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game and real-time strategy game from developer ArtCraft, marketed as a "Throne War Simulator." It launched on July 6, 2021, and was shut down on November 22, 2022.
The game's funding began with a Kickstarter campaign that ended on March 26, 2015, raising $1,766,205—$966,205 above its $800,000 goal. By June 20, 2016, total funding reached $7,210,680, including $2,726,322 from Kickstarter pledges and donations collected through the Crowfall website.
Gameplay, as described in 2017, resembled most MMORPGs with a third-person camera and free-roaming movement. Its key difference was a world system of five campaign types: "Eternal Kingdoms," "God's Reach," "The Infected," "The Shadow," and "Dregs." Each world was procedurally generated and followed a seasonal cycle from spring to winter, after which the campaign ended and the world vanished. Players survived and could move to other worlds. Campaigns lasted 1, 3, 6, or 12 months, except for Eternal Kingdoms, which persisted and housed player housing.
Characters included archetypes mixing humans, demi-humans, and animal-hybrids: Champion (melee DPS), Ranger (specialist), Druid (support), Confessor (ranged DPS), Knight (tank), Templar (tank), Forgemaster (specialist), Frostweaver (ranged DPS), Assassin (specialist), Myrmidon (tank), Legionnaire (support), Duelist (specialist), and Stalker (ranged DPS).
At a campaign's start, players spawned in spring in a new world filled with villages, mines, resources, and ruins. The map was fogged, requiring exploration. Players gathered resources to craft weapons and build castles and fortresses for defense against other players and wildlife. As summer arrived, resources dwindled and monsters grew stronger, a force called "The Hunger" in lore. Each world had different victory conditions and rules. After a campaign, players returned to their Eternal Kingdoms homes, which had their own rules.
Development began with an announcement in January 2015, shrouded in mystery. The website showed only a 40-day countdown and minimal gameplay details. When the timer hit zero, a link to the Kickstarter page appeared, revealing gameplay videos and details. Within hours, the campaign reached halfway to its $800,000 goal. The game released on July 6, 2021, and was taken offline on November 22, 2022.
- field
- Video game
- genre
- MMORPG-RTS hybrid
- developer
- ArtCraft
- release_date
- July 6, 2021
- shutdown_date
- November 22, 2022
- kickstarter_goal
- $800,000
- total_funding_as_of_June_2016
- $7,210,680
Quick Facts
- Title
- Crowfall
- Developer
- ArtCraft
- Director
- J. Todd Coleman
- Engine
- Unity
- Platforms
- Windows
- Released
- July 6, 2021
- Genre
- MMORPG
- Composer
- Nelson Everhart
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Crowfall was announced in January 2015 under much speculation and mystery, with only a 40-day countdown timer and very few gameplay details on its website. When the counter reached zero, the site linked to the game's official Kickstarter page, revealing gameplay videos and many aspects. Within hours, the Kickstarter was halfway to its $800,000 goal. The campaign ended March 26, 2015 with total funding of $1,766,205, surpassing the goal by $966,205. As of June 20, 2016, total funding had reached $7,210,680, including $2,726,322 from pledges collected from both the Kickstarter and donations on the Crowfall website.
The game featured five world systems—Eternal Kingdoms, God's Reach, The Infected, The Shadow, and Dregs—each with different rules. Worlds were procedurally generated and went through a seasonal cycle from spring to winter, after which the campaign ended and the world was gone forever. Campaigns could last 1, 3, 6 months, or a year. Only the Eternal Kingdoms persisted, housing player housing. At campaign start, players spawned in spring with villages, mines, resources, and ruins; the map was fogged, requiring exploration. Resources could be used to craft weapons and build castles. As summer began, resources became scarcer and monsters more powerful, driven by a force called 'The Hunger'.
Reader's Guide
Crowfall's significance lies in its attempt to merge MMORPG and RTS elements within a persistent, player-driven campaign system. Its 'Throne War Simulator' concept introduced procedurally generated worlds that lived and died on a seasonal cycle, forcing players to adapt to changing resources and escalating threats. The game's funding history—starting with a $1.77 million Kickstarter and growing to over $7.2 million by mid-2016—demonstrated strong early community interest. However, the game's short lifespan, releasing in July 2021 and shutting down in November 2022, limited its long-term impact. Its legacy is as an ambitious experiment in world persistence and campaign-based gameplay, though it ultimately failed to sustain a player base. The game's archetype system, with 13 classes including Champion, Ranger, and Druid, offered varied playstyles. The Eternal Kingdoms provided a permanent home for players between campaigns, a feature that attempted to balance temporary worlds with lasting progression.
Did You Know?
- Crowfall was described as a 'Throne War Simulator'.
- Its Kickstarter campaign ended March 26, 2015 with $1,766,205, surpassing the $800,000 goal by $966,205.
- As of June 20, 2016, total funding reached $7,210,680, including $2,726,322 from pledges and donations.
- The game was taken offline on November 22, 2022, just over a year after its July 6, 2021 release.
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