In order to get along in such a hostile world, the player will have to rely on their alter ego's skills. These are not determined by the character's class or improved by adding skill points: In Grimlands the motto is "Learning by doing". Skills are improved by being used – practice makes perfect, after all. "Use it or lose it" holds true here as well, with skills that are not used regularly being forgotten after a while. Thus each player develops their character through their own personal playing style.

These skills are developed in a dynamic world where the players' actions will leave their mark. A comprehensive and flexible crafting system means that there are almost no limits when it comes to building one's own equipment. Another highlight of this feature are the various vehicles that can be custom-modified and can even be driven by a group people as well as the cities that can be founded and expanded.

After publisher gamigo decided to drop the title and cut off funding last month, Polish developer Drago is now trying to get its MMORPG/FPS funded through Kickstarter.

In development at Polish studio DRAGO for over five years, Grimlands is an innovative mix of MMORPG and First- or Third Person Shooter. Thousands of players explore a huge open world that was laid in ruins by earthquakes and face the daily challenges of this deadly environment: Scarce resources fuel the PVE and PVP fights and force players to craft every item by themselves. Without level- or point-restrictions, players create their individual avatar just by playing in their favorite style and learning skills by using them. Clans fight over key locations in the game world using armed vehicles for support. Choosing if they want to be a lone wolf or trade and band together with other players is just one of the many parts of the sandbox-style gameplay.

Despite positive feedback on the last two Beta tests, a strategy-shift from development to distribution has led gamigo AG to cancel Grimlands. Following strong fan-support, the development team aims to finance the remaining work by turning to the community on Kickstarter.

“When gamigo announced they would no longer fund the development of Grimlands, we were all shocked, given we had spend more than five years on this game and are finally so close to release”, explains Lucjan Mikociak, Head of Development at DRAGO Entertainment. “However, at the same time the numerous outcries from Press and Players around the globe convinced us that the market eagerly awaits our title and that we have to keep working towards launch.”

On the decision to turn to Kickstarter, Mikociak comments: “There is no way around it: Big games need big money. Since gamigo stopped funding us in January, we have survived thanks to friends and family support. However, in order to properly finish the game by year’s end, we need further funding of 650.000 USD. After talking to several publishers and investors we feel only Kickstarter allows this without compromising our vision!