14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Bugbear Entertainment announces that it is canceling the Kickstrater drive for its Next Car Game because it is unable to meet the funding goal, but insists that development on the racing game will continue and gamers will get access to a playable version of the title.
The company states in an official update that, “First of all, big thanks to all our backers. Although our Kickstarter campaign has attracted tremendous enthusiasm, during the last couple of weeks it’s become obvious that we are not going to meet our goal. Because of this we have decided concentrate on our efforts on the pre-order campaign.”
Close to 2,500 people gave money to Next Car Game via Kickstarter and the game was just a little over one quarter to its goal of 350,000 dollars (240,000 Euro), which it was supposed to reach by December 1.
This means that all the pledged money will be returned to those who have offered it and they will be able to support the game via the official website or the Steam Early Access service from Valve.
Bugbear adds, “we have decided to release a PLAYABLE technology sneak peek, and it’s available RIGHT NOW to all our pre-order supporters. The sneak peek features a playground that we use internally to test various features various like car damage and environment destruction.”
There are 24 cars included in the tech demo and the team wants players to offer feedback on their experiences with them all.
The studio also reveals that it is planning to add more locations to the full version of the Next Car Game, which will include special derby arenas and interesting race tracks.
Bugbear had previously created Ridge Racer Unbounded for Namco Bandai in 2012, launching the game on the PC, the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.
The title failed to impress critics and generate sales and the Finish company has decided to try to make an entirely new game on its own.