Crowfall is a seamless blend of an MMO with a large-scale Strategy game, where players control the universe, to shape as they see fit. Characters are persistent, but the campaign worlds are not. players are Immortal Champions, traveling between realms to fight in an eternal War of the Gods.

Each Campaign World is a server or "realm".  It exists for a limited time – typically 1 to 3 months -- or until some win condition is met. During this time, the World will change.  Each Campaign has four stages: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. With each passing season, the World grows more deadly as the land is consumed by an unstoppable legion of undead -- The Hunger.

At the end of Winter, the Campaign is over. A victor is declared, the map is wiped and that World goes offline forever...  ...but the characters are NEVER wiped.  Instead, the participants take their winnings back home to the Eternal Kingdoms, to prepare and strategize for the next Campaign.

ArtCraft Entertainment announced that it has closed on a $11.7 million raise from investors marking the final financial step in completing and launching the company’s video game, Crowfall.

In addition to crowdfunding, Crowfall is financed through traditional investments. That dual funding strategy helps the team avoid the need to constantly tap their players with offers of new items or programs in order to keep development monies flowing.

“We are extremely thankful to our investors who have stepped up to provide us with the financial means to get Crowfall to the finish line,” exclaimed J. Todd Coleman, ArtCraft Entertainment co-founder and chief creative officer, “and, of course to our backers – without whom we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to bring this game to life.”

A massive crowdfunding success, Crowfall stands out among independent studios, boasting an impressive $5.7 million in pledges in addition to the more than $30 million in funding collected from technology licensing, distribution agreements and previous investment rounds.

“The timing of this round is perfect, as we gear up to start Beta this quarter,” explains Gordon Walton, co-founder and president. “More than 300-thousand players have signed up to help us test the game in Beta, which will give us the scale we need to make sure the service is ready at launch.”

The Beta version of the game, currently being tested internally, includes significant features including the much-anticipated Guild-vs-Guild ruleset allowing guilds to compete directly for control of campaign worlds in the Crowfall universe. This experience is supported by several unique gameplay tentpoles; Divine Favor, a strategy game that allows players to appeal to Crowfall’s diverse pantheon of Gods, and customized City Building to give guilds the chance to build unique castles and fortifications to defend and hold. Together, these features deliver an innovative experience where players control the fate of the universe.

The Worlds are made of voxels (like Minecraft, only much less blocky) – which means the entire World is destructible. Crowfall's campaign maps are procedurally generated -- meaning that the process of creating every mountain, forest, river, castle and abandoned village is automated.  Each World is different, which means that the game of territorial conquest will be different in every Campaign.

The beginning of each Campaign is like the first round of Civilization: players are dropped into a harsh environment, surrounded by Fog-of-War. The Worlds are filled with deadly monsters, haunted ruins, abandoned quarries... and the most dangerous predator of all, other players. Craft weapons, scavenge armor, secure a stronghold, forge alliances and conquer the World.

There are two types of Worlds in the Crowfall universe: the Campaign Worlds, which produce materials (stone, iron and wood) and the Eternal Kingdoms, which are barren of resources -- but last forever. If each Campaign is like a soccer match, the Eternal Kingdoms encompass the entire season!  Unlike the Campaigns, these Worlds are permanent -- and they are completely managed and owned by the players.

Players act as rulers -- they can divide up their domains into provinces and grant those lands to other players.  Benevolent monarch or iron-fisted tyrant, what kind of kingdom will you rule?

The Eternal Kingdom can be massive -- with mountains and rivers, castles and villages, dungeons and ruins.  They are also devoid of resources: stone, iron and wood.  To gain the resources necessary to build structures and craft items, players will have to participate in Campaigns... or treat with those who do.

Crowfall is currently in Beta testing and open to early access backers.