Big Announcement news - The Universim

Big Announcement

Greetings!

This is a big announcement, everyone. Strap yourselves in. We’re going to break it down into four short points before we explain a little more.

• 1. Always remember that you helped make all of this possible, and we cannot thank you enough for your encouragement and continued support. The Kickstarter was a real turning point for the project. We knew how much we needed to complete The Universim within an indie capacity, and we knew just how risky it would be to set our goal at that level. However, a month later, we had blown past the initial goal and were well on our way to success. Champagne and raucous cheers abound!

• 2. In order to ensure that we finish developing the features and functionality of the game as quickly as we can, we have decided to hold an equity fundraise through Fundable to help us release a higher-quality, finished product sooner than would otherwise be possible. Our #1 objective is to get The Universim, in all its playable glory, into your hands as soon as possible. We are dedicating 100% of our time to developing a game that you will be proud to have been such an important part of. As the process for creating a game of this caliber can be quite long and expensive, we want to make sure we have all the resources we need to reach the milestones that were never possible before. We’re going bigger, so we can deliver bigger. Multiplayer, anyone?

• 3. What is Fundable? Fundable is an equity crowdfunding platform aimed at young, promising startups such as Crytivo Games (from a totally objective view, of course). It is entirely different from Kickstarter in that all funding comes directly from private investors, such as Angel investor groups or similar entities.

• 4. Last but not least, we want to assure you that we are not asking for anything additional from you. We couldn’t be more appreciative of the support you’ve already given us, and over the past year we’ve devoted countless hours to developing a game that will live up to your expectations. If you're interested in being involved further in the growth of Crytivo Games as a company, or if you know someone who you think would believe in our vision, please let us know by sending an email to contact@crytivogames.com or sharing and visiting our Fundable page here (https://www.fundable.com/crytivogames). You can find more information below to get a better understanding of why we are making this move.

The first pre-alpha build was a big moment for the game, and showcasing it at E3 was a real dream come true. The feedback was invaluable (top of the list was a proper tutorial...we totally understand and we’re on it!) and we are taking all of it into account for the pre-alpha launch in September.

E3 became so much more than an opportunity to showcase the game. However, when we began to meet some amazing indie developers on the show floor, not only did they do a wonderful job of making us feel three feet taller with their compliments (thanks, guys!), but they were also kind enough to give us some excellent advice. Our team has never really been too involved in the business side of things. After all, we’re developing The Universim purely because it’s a game we have always wanted to make.

However, these developers have shown us that we can be far smarter with the way we handle The Universim and the company as a whole. We are still very cautious about signing any deals with publishers or other partners, which is why the solution they introduced to us works out for the better. We never want to give control of the project away to another entity, as that would destroy our vision of making the game alongside the community. The solution in question involves beginning a proper round of private investments that will help cement Crytivo Games as an established game studio.

Why would we want additional funding? Is our lust for money not sated by the copious donations on Kickstarter? Have we no honour? It really isn’t like that at all. Let us explain:

The funding on Kickstarter guaranteed that we would be able to deliver all of the features we promised in the final game. Everything is working out as we envisioned, but we know that we could be doing so much more. Firstly, we are still operating internationally as somewhat of a virtual company. Our plans have always been to open a physical, centralised studio once The Universim was released in a finished state. We realise now that starting a physical studio sooner will boost development speed significantly and allow us to work together full-time in the same office building. Not only that, we would also be able to hire additional team members to do some more heavy lifting.

Basically, we will finally be like one of the big kids (better, faster, stronger)! The Universim will also grow substantially (not just more content, but better content) and be completed in a far more timely manner. We also have some surprises in store for everyone if things really go our way. Crytivo Games will become a force to be reckoned with. The Universim deserves only the best treatment. It is an important game for all of us, and it needs to exceed expectations.

This is a HUGE decision, and we want to hear your opinions. If you have any questions or doubts that may not have been addressed above, be sure to ask us below or in the forums. The investment period can take anywhere from 3 months to a year (or longer) depending on popularity. During that time, you can expect things to progress as normal. If any of you are interested in getting involved with Crytivo Games in a long-term capacity, or know someone who may be interested, be sure to swing by our Fundable (https://www.fundable.com/crytivogames) page.

Thank you all for being so amazing!
All the best, The Crytivo Games Crew