Primordial Oops: GPG Declares Wildman Extinct

If you've been following the sordid tale of Chris Taylor and Gas Powered Games' Wildman, you probably won't find this one all that surprising. After Death's cold, potentially velociraptor-like claw nearly cut down the Kickstarter mere days after it launched, Taylor and co opted to stick it out. Unfortunately, even the probable doom of GPG wasn't enough to pied piper $1.1 million out of unwilling wallets, and prospects grew darker by the day. And so, mere inches away from the finish line, Taylor and co have decided to call it quits. The reason? GPG might not have to go down with the very obviously sinking ship.

The increasingly beleaguered Supreme Commander and Dungeon Siege dev gave a brief explanation on Kickstarter:

"At this point, it makes sense for us to focus our attention on other ways to keep Gas Powered Games running. Unfortunately, we are unable to share any specifics in public. When we have news to share, we will be posting it on our site."

"We are profoundly grateful to those of you who backed this project and Gas Powered Games. Your passion and hard work put us in a position to write this exciting new chapter in the history of GPG."

Which, ultimately, is both good and bad. On one hand, Wildman had some promising ideas underlying it, so it's a shame to see it fail natural selection's oh-so-unforgiving test. But on the other, the idea that GPG could survive at all is quite an improvement from what Taylor himself told me at DICE. So, assuming everything works out, it's not entirely doom and gloom. Just, you know, mostly, given that heaps of people have already been laid off, and more could very well follow.

In short, :(

But for now, let us bid adieu to Wildman as his fossil-constructed, fossil-fuel-propelled coffin ascends to Kickstarter Valhalla. A big fish in a pond that's getting deeper by the day.