FreeSpace, the space combat series created by developer Volition in the late 1990s but dormant for more than a decade, could return as a board game, if a Kickstarter campaign from FreeSpace Development Corp. succeeds.
The company hopes to raise $75,000 to create FreeSpace Tactics, an "officially licensed tactical miniatures game inspired by Interplay's FreeSpace video game series," according to the Kickstarter project. As of this writing, 30 days remain in the crowdfunding campaign, which has received nearly $3,000 in pledges from about 40 backers.
"FreeSpace Tactics is a fast-paced miniatures game of space combat for 2-4 players set in the war-torn FreeSpace universe," the project's description reads. "Inspired by the intense dogfights of the FreeSpace video games, we have been testing and refining the gameplay of FreeSpace Tactics for more than a year to create a tactical and highly customizable experience beyond the traditional miniatures game."
The Kickstarter page says that Chris Taylor, a veteran of Fallout, Starfleet Command, and the Nemo's War board game, is working on FreeSpace Tactics.
"I designed FreeSpace Tactics from the ground up to replicate the frenzied dogfights of the video game," Taylor said. "Rather than focus on the charts and measurements typical of miniatures war gaming, Freespace Tactics is made to be fast-paced with a lot of room for individual style."
In June 2013, Interplay Entertainment Corporation purchased the FreeSpace intellectual property from THQ and Volition for $7,500. Volition developed Descent: FreeSpace - The Great War in 1998 and its sequel, FreeSpace 2, the following year