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Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies' 'spiritual sequel' smashed its $200k Kickstarter target in under an hour, and the sci-fi fantasy MMORPG is now on track to double its goal
Stars Reach, a sci-fi fantasy MMORPG by Raph Koster, successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter in under an hour, exceeding its goal. This ambitious project offers players a vast, persistent world with unparalleled freedom to shape its ecosystems and civilizations.
Stars Reach – the upcoming sci-fi fantasy MMORPG from Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies veteran Raph Koster – is already fully funded on Kickstarter after reaching in its goal in under an hour.
Developed by Playable Worlds, Stars Reach is shaping up to offer players what's essentially a "parallel world" with thousands of planets to explore, which they can have a real, permanent impact on thanks to the fact that "we simulate everything," Koster previously told us in an interview. From being able to alter a planet's ecosystem after driving creatures to extinction to irrigating deserts or rerouting rivers, the level of freedom sounds enormous – and that's not mentioning the aliens you can fight, settlements you can build, leadership roles you can develop, and much more. With all that on top of the fact that it's meant to be a "spiritual sequel to Ultima Online and to Star Wars Galaxies," there's a lot to be excited about.
Until recently, Stars Reach had been funded by investors, but last month, it was announced that a Kickstarter campaign would be launched too, because, as Koster explained at the time, "the climate for games investment is terrible." Thankfully, the campaign has very quickly managed to accumulate all the extra funding Playable Worlds needed and more, as the devs confirm it smashed its $200,000 goal in under an hour.
We’re funded!Thanks to your support, our Kickstarter hit its goal. But we’re not done yet! Every extra pledge helps us go further and make this project even better. Let’s keep the momentum going!https://t.co/3rvYgiHFtd#Kickstarter #starsreach pic.twitter.com/8ScmW7g7PrFebruary 25, 2025
"We're deeply humbled and grateful for this outpouring of support," Playable Worlds says in a statement. "This is your victory as much as ours, and we can't wait to take this journey together."
Even after hitting the main goal, support doesn't seem to be slowing down. With 28 days left to go on the campaign and over 350k, but there's still "crafting appearance customization" listed, although the page doesn't confirm what target fans have to hit to unlock that one.
We'll just have to watch this space to see how much more Stars Reach can raise – the fact that the MMO is already "very far along in development" after being in the works for the last five years is bound to be encouraging for many, too.