Stoic on dropping the ball with The Banner Saga 2

The Banner Saga is a very good tactics-focused RPG, and its sequel is similarly decent. However, despite a popular first iteration, sales for the followup weren't nearly as impressive. Speaking to GamesIndustry, Stoic co-founder and technical director John Watson explained that the studio feels that the reason behind the slump was that they neglected their fans, and that they should have returned to Kickstarter for funding.

"Let's just close the doors, close the curtains, spend our own money and do it our own way, without having to answer to anybody. And that's what we did," Watson explained. "About halfway through, when the money starts getting tight, we started thinking, 'why the hell didn't we get a Kickstarter?'

"I think we dropped the ball there. We thought that audience would still just be there. We really neglected our community during the development of Banner Saga 2, because we were focusing on our work. I think that was a mistake. We all agree that was a mistake."

Watson also indicated that the competition faced by the sequel was fiercer, adding: "With The Banner Saga we launched against 70 games that month. With The Banner Saga 2 it was over 400, so that is a factor. You are fighting more for attention, and it's remarkable how many people I meet say, 'oh, Banner Saga 2 is out?' They just don't know, and we spent a lot of money marketing it. We tried to make it known."

Still, it's not all doom and gloom, and the studio hopes that when they get around to releasing The Banner Saga 3, it will have a positive impact on the sales of the first two games.

"If you look at The Banner Saga as a franchise—all the platforms and both the games - it's generating about the same revenue. It's like building a wedge. Banner Saga 3 might sell a third of what Banner Saga 2 did, but it should lift up the other games. That's what we're betting on."

Head this way to check out our review of The Banner Saga 2.