Wildman Can Save Gas Powered Games, Says Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor, the leader of Gas Powered Games, says that support from fans and backers will help the company push through its difficult period and that the situation is already improving after the recent round of layoffs.

The developer tells Polygon that, “I don’t want to make any assumptions at this point, but things look much better, and I think it’s still going to be a long road ahead, but we’re prepared to work very hard to make this happen. I’m already making phone calls and setting up meetings to talk to key people about coming back, to see the campaign through.”

Taylor had previously asked fans whether he should take down the Kickstarter for its new game, Wildman.

The community reacted by offering messages of support for Gas Powered Games and the team finally decided to continue seeking funds from gamers.

Taylor adds, “It never occurred to me that the industry would rally like it did, and that people would then invest, not only in Wildman, but in helping me to save GPG and the team.”

At the moment, there are more than 5,000 backers for Wildman on Kickstarter and the game has managed to attract about one quarter of the 1.1 million dollars (826,000 Euro) it needs for the development process.

Wildman will mix role-playing game mechanics and real-time strategy elements, with a protagonist that travels through human history.

Chris Taylor has previously said that he is betting his future in video game development and that of his company on Wildman.

Gas Powered Games is best known for the work it has done on the Dungeon Siege series and on Supreme Commander.

The studio has also worked on Age of Empires Online with Microsoft and in 2010, it announced an ambitious new project called Knights and Castles, which is at the moment indefinitely on hold.