We touched on Collective yesterday after what we thought we might be getting a Crackdown 3 related announcement. In fact, Ruffian Games (who hinted at an announcement) were revealed as one of three developers that have signed up with Square Enix's new indie project, Collective.
Ruffian Games joins Kitfox Games and Tuque Games in the new community funding platform. Each of the three developers is touting a new game to Collective's fledgling community, who'll then decide if a game should be put forward for crowdfunding by a partnership between Square and Indiegogo.
Kitfox are pitching Moon Hunters ("An open-world adventure for 1-4 players, solving ancient mysteries and building mythologies"). Tuque are promoting their first title, World War Machine ("A fast-paced, Action RPG set in a procedural post-human world with meaningful customization, tactical coop and steel-shattering destruction"). Ruffian are hoping that Games of Glens will hold appeal ("Manage a Scottish clan competing in the Highland Games; resource management, structure building and projectile weaponry in multiple modes!").
"There are lots of really talented small teams around the world with great game ideas. For those teams, getting visibility, momentum, funding and distribution can be very tricky and that's where we hope Collective can help," said Phil Elliott, project lead on Collective. "It's up to the teams how much or little help they want from Square Enix and it's our opportunity to help some fantastic games become a reality and uncover the development stars of the future."
Square Enix are promising to support games through the entire process, and will be backing titles that resonate strongly with their community. Interestingly, the publisher will be taking a 5% cut of any money made during the funding process, before dipping back in for a cut of sales revenue. That said, there could be lucrative opportunities for developers as it seems that Eidos IP might be up for grabs for the right project (as an alternative to a dev pitching a new IP). For more details on how it all works head here.