KickTraq

It’s a bit of a tradition that whenever I interview someone for Cliqist I ask them to put together a brief haiku to describe them, their company, or their game. Since we’re celebrating the one year anniversary of Cliqist this week I figure it would be as good a time as any to look back at some of them. All the haiku’s were written by the person being interviewed, and are listed in the order in which they appeared on the site. Some are great, some not so much, but each is interesting in its own right. (Read More)

This week's MMO crowdfunding news was dominated by a familiar trio of gamemaking heavyweights as well as an upstart studio bent on updating the magic of Ultima Online. Star Citizen announced a date of May 29th for its dogfighting module Arena Commander thing, while fellow space sim sandbox Elite: Dangerous released its Alpha 4 client, posted a new progress video, and targeted the end of May for its next major release. (Read More)

The last major update posted regarding Brad McQuaid's dream MMO, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, didn't leave a lot of ambiguity. The game had no prototypes to be shown off, it had failed at its Kickstarter campaign, and the funding raised by fans had completely worn out. So you'd think that would mean it was the end of the road, but instead McQuaid has posted an update on the state of the game's development, and according to the post, the team is being rebuilt and progress will be made. (Read More)

It's no secret that many of the more successful Kickstarter projects over the past few years have heavily capitalized on player nostalgia, brand names, and former dev gods who are back for another round. The formula for drawing in the big bucks seems to be the following: Take something players hugely loved back in the day, dangle the concept of a sequel (spiritual or otherwise), and promise some measure of iterative improvement. (Read More)

This isn’t Kickstarter any more. You let go of your money the moment you click the final button. There are no goals to meet or critical mass to achieve. That last bit seemed like an important tidbit to me. There is an aspect of “we’re all in this together” when it comes to Kickstarter, where success means a lump sum for the team and failure means nobody gets billed. It protects the early enthusiast from handing over his money too soon, only to find out that the project isn’t popular enough. So I was curious to see how well Pantheon would do once it lacked that aspect of the Kickstarter campaign. (Read More)

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, an MMO game crowdfunding on Kickstarter, set out to raise $800,o00 over 40 days but closed their campaign having raised $460,000 – far short of their intended objective. The campaign rifled out of the gate raising over $50,000 in the first twenty hours of the project. Pantheon had been widely anticipated and expectations were high for a solid success. Stretch goals were set at the very beginning of the launch as confidence was high. The Game category is very popular on Kickstarter and is the most successful segment of their business having raised around $190 million to date – besting the 2nd most successful category – film and video. (Read More)

Pantheon, the ambitious MMO from famed Everquest designer Brad McQuaid may not have been as successful as planned raising funds on Kickstarter, but that doesn’t mean it was a flop, it raised almost half a million dollars. After raising $460,000 it must have been a bit disappointing to see all that money float away though, such is the nature of Kickstarter’s all or nothing campaign model. (Read More)

Crowdfunded high-fantasy MMO Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has moved funding to their own website after failing to raise the money they needed during their Kickstarter camapign. (Read More)

With a little over four hours to go on the Kickstarter, we wanted to let you all know of our new website, which is now available for pledging to Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. After the Kickstarter we'd like to invite you over to PantheonRotF.com... (Read More)

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has concluded its Kickstarter campaign without reaching its $800,000 funding goal. Lead developer Brad McQuaid isn't deterred, though, as you'll find out if you've got the time to read a lengthy launch letter he posted earlier today. (Read More)

Visionary Realms' Kickstarter campaign for fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, failed to achieve its goal. (Read More)

As we approach the last 24 hours of the Kickstarter, we wanted to give a shout out to all of our backers and community who have proved over the last 40 days that there is a market for a return to classic-style MMO gaming. Your support and actions... (Read More)

The fundamental elements that hold the fabric of existence together within the Pantheon universe are known as the Planes of Arcana. These intangible and abstract planes of magic were formed from the resonating forces that destroyed all life prior to... (Read More)

Role: Utility/DPS Style: Manipulator of the elements. Master of conjuring. The Summoner is a diverse support class and capable of high damage through use of nukes, dots and a strong focus on pets. Specializations: Primal Mage: Specialist in elemental... (Read More)

Vu's been making leaps and bounds with the environments in The Wastes this week. Earlier we showed some screens of the new terrain details and some early work on shaders and lighting. Last night Vu continued the polish on the area in The Wastes,... (Read More)

With 4 days to go and about $400,000 left to raise, it doesn't appear that Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is going to hit its goal on Kickstarter. Has this dissuaded Brad McQuaid and his team? Not in the slightest. The latest update posted to the campaign acknowledges that the project might not make it over the finish line, but there are plans in place for funding even if the game doesn't draw in quite enough before Saturday. (Read More)

Post KickstarterAs we enter into the final week of the Kickstarter campaign we wanted to not only thank you for all the support you've shown over the past 35 days, but also to let you know what's coming up. We still have until Saturday to get the... (Read More)

With five days and $400,000 left to raise, Brad McQuaid’s Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is struggling to meet its goal. (Read More)

The art team here at Visionary Realms, Inc. has been working hard to create new, better looking environments for Pantheon. Vu's been working on getting some more details into the existing terrain, and developing a new look for the external areas. The... (Read More)

Summary Constructed millennia ago by an ancient race of war wizards, the Sunken Sanctum is a foreboding monument resting deep within the dreadful marshland of ruins called the Wastes. It is a fortress built to contain the greatest treasures of the... (Read More)

The world of Pantheon is fraught with danger. With perils around every corner the player must be prepared when exploring the world of Terminus. Exploring is very important to us as is respecting your environment. While it is easy for us to make an... (Read More)

In case you missed the show Tuesday night, Salim, Vu and Ben were back on the Rob and Dan show for another Pantheon Developer Series as Vu continued his work on Sunken Sanctum and a dragon. The next show will be airing Monday, February 17th at 4pm... (Read More)

Welcome to the Kickstarter Compendium, a gathering of games and game-related projects that we’ve come across that deserve your attention. The crowd-funding model for video games has resulted in some interesting new game ideas, and new projects are going up on a weekly basis that deserve your attention. The only problem is keeping track of it all – what’s worth watching, and what are these different projects about? (Read More)

With less than half the funds raised for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen and only eight days to go in his Kickstarter campaign, Visionary Realms CEO Brad McQuaid appears to be looking for alternate sources of funding for the game. (Read More)

Living Arcana Origin World: Terminus Current Homeland: None Pantheon: Nexus Language: Arcana Classes: TBD The Bound: that is the existence of the magical entities called the T’Jinn. These beings are magic given sentience. Their bodies are composed... (Read More)

Reptilian Warlords Origin World: Vril Current Homeland: Lost Lake (Rumored) Pantheon: TBALanguage: Vril Classes: TBA The Lost: that is the Vrilaska, a reptilian humanoid race that walked Terminus in the early days following the Planar Collisions.... (Read More)

Brad McQuaid and Visionary Realms have updated the Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen Kickstarter project. The latest post dives deeper into the lore behind the T'Jinn and the Vrilaska, both races that will be included with the game should it reach a stretch goal of $2.5 million. For reference, Pantheon is currently sitting at $382,298 raised of its $800,000 funding goal with nine days remaining. (Read More)

“Don’t aspire to ascend. The gods are cursed with immortality. They are the servants of paradise.” – Moda Khutar, High Priest of the Temple of A’Naza. Role: Healer/Debuffer/Support Style: Master of the spirits. Buffs, slows, paralyzing,... (Read More)

Secretive Sorcerers Origin World: Aruska Current Homeland: Skyfen Mountains Pantheon: Trove Lords Language: Arcana Classes: TBA The Gnomes are a diminutive enchanted race who place their arcane desires above all else. Their race was born of magic... (Read More)

Mysterious, diminutive creatures that love magic are standard fare for fantasy MMOs, and Brad McQuaid's Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is no exception. Visionary Realms, which is attempting to raise $800,000 via Kickstarter to develop Pantheon, has posted an update diving deeper into the game's race of tiny "secretive sorcerers." (Read More)

The gnomes are coming! Today on their official Kickstarter page the developers for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen have unveiled the gnome race, a group of anit-social sorcerers with a love of all things magical. (Read More)

Cunning Craftsmen Origin World: Dohmchanta Current Homeland: The Blackwoods Pantheon: Ryn’Etryas (The Eternal Rings) Language: Dohma Classes: TBA The Halflings are stubby humanoid race with a preference for domestic tranquility rather than high... (Read More)

You've asked for it, and here it is. Below is a chart of the playable races of Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen and the classes they'll be able to play. This chart is now also available on the main Kickstarter Page. Player feedback will play a big role... (Read More)

“I can control this. Just keep me tethered, you damn fool apprentice! I can control all the power of the planes! I am the master! HA!" – Archmage Daldrin, right before he lost his mind and was committed to the Asylum of Mental Health and... (Read More)

Everquest co-creator Brad McQuaid has turned to Kickstarter to help fund his new fantasy MMO Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. The ambitious project from Visionary Realms has reached nearly half of its goal of $800,000. (Read More)

In case you've missed these on our Facebook page, we wanted to give you a direct link to download all of the cool wallpapers and posters for Pantheon. Just click the image to download the full-rez version.  (Read More)

“Everything you know about them, everything you ever hated about them, it is all wiped away as you are dazzled by their uncanny charm. Their will becomes your own and you will gladly die for them. When you see one, if you still control your own... (Read More)

It's hard to believe that only three weeks ago the Kickstarter for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen introduced itself to the world. Over those three weeks we've seen a ton of excitement and so much support from the community for the project. People have... (Read More)

Ultima successor Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues and EverQuest designer Brad McQuaid’s new MMO Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen have entered into a cute little bit of crowd-funding in-love. (Read More)

"Eh! Where'd he go? Is he a cutpurse or a bloody magician?" - Voldrin the Trade Baron, right before Tundril the Planestalker phased in behind him and stole his purse. Role: DPS/Debuffer Style: Proficient in most melee weapons, experts with daggers... (Read More)

One of the challenges of Kickstarter rewards is that we cannot modify the tier rewards after they have at least one pledge to them. This makes things a bit tricky when we want to add more to the tier as an extra thank you for your support. So, in... (Read More)

Woodland Wardens Origin World: Mythantya Current Homeland: The Falmyrys Pantheon: Ryn’Etryas (The Eternal Rings) Language: Etryan Classes: TBA The Elves, or Etryan as they call themselves, are a deeply ritualistic and spiritual woodland folk.... (Read More)

Good morning, Pantheon fans! We have some great news to share today. Brad has been talking with Richard 'Lord British' Garriott this week of Shroud of the Avatar and the two of them have been brainstorming ways to support both games. The result?... (Read More)

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Prior to streaming on the Rob & Dan Show earlier this week Vu informed me that he had gutted his earlier work on Sunken Sanctum and had started redesigning it. I initially thought he might have gone temporarily mad, but after he sent me these... (Read More)

Industrious Warriors Origin World: Strontia Current Homeland: Strontian Mountains Pantheon: The Holy Strata Language: Stront Classes: TBA The Dwarves of Terminus are stout and industrious miners whose societies have thrived in subterranean kingdoms... (Read More)

With the imminent closure of Vanguard after seven years, there are a lot of eyes on Brad McQuaid's Kickstarter project for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. With 23 days to go on the project, McQuaid took to Reddit to answer a variety of fan questions about the game's design goals and his feelings about Vanguard's closure. He's sad to see his previous game close down, but he also states that he's happy it had seven years of life before it went. (Read More)

In response to popular demand, we've now included add-on rewards for pledgers. What is an add-on? An add-on is an optional item that can be added by increasing your pledge amount. These items are exclusive to Kickstarter backers and range from cool... (Read More)

One of the challenges of Kickstarter rewards is that we cannot modify the tier rewards after they have at least one pledge to them. This makes things a bit tricky when we want to add more to the tier as an extra thank you for your support. So, in... (Read More)

Resourceful Explorers Origin World: Daera Current Homeland: Kingsreach, Plains of Triundia, Desert of A’Moka Pantheon: Trinariad Language: Triundan Classes: TBA Resourceful, tenacious and inquisitive, Humans have overcome many obstacles to become... (Read More)

Undead Warlords Origin World: Terminus Current Homeland: The Dead Ridges Pantheon: Myraxian Language: Chatter Classes: TBA Faithless in life and bound by ancient rites, Revenants have been doomed to walk the lands of Terminus as the undead. Once... (Read More)

More answers to the community questions. These are great folks, keep 'em coming! The video has also been added to the main page.  (Read More)

Brad McQuaid knows a thing or two about games; specifically, those we play online. Steeped in in the ways of the early 90′s MUD scene, Brad got a job at Sony where he made his name with the enourmously successful EverQuest. EverQuest will forever be known as the MMO that got most fans of the genre hooked, and Brad is the one that bestowed it unto them. Since the original EverQuest Brad has worked on a number of successful titles, but our focus today is on one that isn’t out yet, Pantheon : Rise of the Fallen. (Read More)

Brutal BehemothsOrigin World: Gruundark Current Homeland: Icehammer Steppes Pantheon: The Shattered Maul Language: Gruun Classes: TBA The Ogres are a nomadic race of barbarian behemoths. Nearly twice the size of a man, they are massive brutes with... (Read More)

What a week! The Pantheon community spoke loud and clear this week as we grew in backers, pledges, and community. A big thank you to all who've been helping spread the word about the project, and a warm welcome to all the new faces. Tons to go over... (Read More)

Armada, a.k.a. the Plank Resting in the deadly waters of the Bloodflow Sea is the ragtag floating city of ships called Armada. First built as a secret trade port for pirates and rogues, this city has become a safe haven for anyone smart enough to... (Read More)

Slowing things down Combat in Pantheon will be built around a desire to change things up in the MMO space. Contemporary MMOs have become very fast paced and, for lack of a better term, spammy. While the combat is still reactionary in nature it tends... (Read More)

Role: Tank Style: Strong on the front lines, wielder of most weapon types though most proficient in two-handed swords. Able to use the shadows and the dead to their advantage. Specializations: Void Master: Taking control of the shadows, molding them... (Read More)

Role: Healer Style: Focused on healing and dealing damage to their enemies through melee combat and faith magic. Manifests astral Paladin sentries to fight for/with them. Specializations: Battle Cleric: A melee healer that wears full plate armor and... (Read More)

More questions - more answers. Thanks for all your questions - we'll keep the videos coming, so keep asking.  (Read More)

Role: Tank  Style: Proficient in most melee weapons and can cast beneficial spells when following a god. Can equip two shields for ultimate defensive abilities.  Specializations: Cavalier: a warrior who uses physical prowess to overpower his or... (Read More)

Hot off the presses, or the reel, or the SD-card, comes Q&A Video #4. We've gathered some of the most asked questions and put them together in this video to get you your answers. More of these are coming up, so stay tuned!  (Read More)

B.C., Before CollisionsThe Celestial Era Before the age of Pantheons there was the Celestial Era, a time where one deity would rise to rule the universe. Although her true name is unrecorded, her followers, the Celestials, came to name her Nexus.... (Read More)

What role will you play as a risen hero? The Risen Heroes of TerminusEvery player in the Pantheon universe is a “fallen hero” that has “risen” upon Terminus to begin new adventures in a strange land. When the planar collisions erupted and... (Read More)

Exciting updates today! New ScreensVu's been working hard on the Sunken Sanctum this week, and he just sent over some current screenshots of the area just outside of the dungeon's entrance. You'll see a night time and a day time capture of the area... (Read More)

The Dark Knight LoreTouched by the darkness that once consumed the universe, the Dark Knight is a formidable champion of evil whose battle prowess and unholy might instills fear within the bravest of warriors. Having trained in the dark arts... (Read More)

Nexus, the Lost Goddess of Terminus Nexus is the divine figure whose existence predates every pantheon on Terminus. Her mysterious visitations to gods and mortals began in the wake of the first planar collisions, saving their souls from the void and... (Read More)

Good Monday all, We're just a couple hours from week one of Pantheon finishing up and we're looking very much forward to week two. Your support throughout the first week has been tremendous in keeping this project on the right track. Your pledges,... (Read More)

Vu's been working steadily on dungeon design this week. He's made some great progress, and I, for one, got all giggly when he sent this over. Anyone else feel like jumping right in there for some dungeon crawling? Early work on Vu Nguyen's newest... (Read More)

A new Kickstarter update from massively multiplayer online game Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen details the title's first revealed class, the Cleric. (Read More)

New TiersYou guys are quick! We've added more tiers, and you were all over them. We have seen your concerns and suggestions about the new tiers and are looking at ways we can get that fixed up for you. Once again, we appreciate that kind of feedback... (Read More)

The Cleric LoreThe Cleric is battle-ready priest devoted to spreading the influence of his or her pantheon while adventuring within the wilds of Terminus. Armed with weapons and abilities of divine might, the cleric performs benevolent deeds upon... (Read More)

Prior to Kickstarter launch, we asked Twitter followers to send us their questions about the game. The response was overwhelming! So much, in fact, that we've had to separate the videos into three separate videos. Today we answer more of those... (Read More)

Hi again everybody, We've passed the 90k mark and are headed to the first big milestone of 100k! You all deserve great commendations for that and for your continued support in this project. But we're not done yet. We still have a ways to go and we... (Read More)

My only memory of EverQuest was buying it the day it launched. I played it for a total of two hours that following week. The idea of the game was enchanting, even if the execution was lost in a horrendous foreshadowing of the problems online gaming would have from that time on. Even after abandoning the game I had the urge to explore its expansive world full of magic and mystery, experience the joy of being tormented by those with more free time than myself, and see first-hand how the game grew. Unfortunately for my fantasy alter ego, the Dreamcast was released not long after EverQuest’s initial launch and there was no looking back. (Read More)

Brad McQuaid is hoping to raise $800,000 to make Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. (Read More)

An epic planar high fantasy MMO from renowned EverQuest creator Brad McQuaid. (Read More)

Hello everyone! First I wanted to send a personal thank you to every one of our early backers for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. With the amount of emails and comments I've received over the years about how someone should make a game that returns to... (Read More)

Ready, set, go: One of the industry's most notorious developers has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $800,000 or more for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. (Read More)

Brad McQuaid, a longtime designer of massively multiplayer online role-playing games such as EverQuest and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, launched a Kickstarter campaign today for his latest title, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. (Read More)

Brad McQuaid talks Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, Kickstarter campaign launches today. PCGamer.com is the official web counterpart to the PC Gamer print magazine. Exclusive reviews, demos, and updates and news on all your favourite PC gaming franchises. (Read More)