Xenonauts 2 has been in development since 2016 and had been talking about a doing a Kickstarter for a while now. Although the game is mostly financed from the success of the first game they want to raise additional funds for the final stages of development. They set the Kickstarter goal at 50,000 dollars but have already surpassed this amount in the short time that it has been online.
The first Xenonauts had an extremely successful launch and was met with critical acclaim. The game was an homage to games like Xcom with the classical mix of strategical map play and sci-fi turn-based strategy combat. The game is set in an alternate reality where the interference of aliens has prevented the end of the cold war. In the game, you have to fight back aliens while ensuring that no nuclear wars break out. Xenonauts 2 will be a direct sequel to the first game and will maintain the same setting.
The goal of the Kickstarter is to receive extra funding for the final stages of development. At this point, the base game is finished and extra funding will go to making the game more polished as well as adding more new enemies, maps, weapons, etc. The developers have already confirmed that updating the UI is one of the main objectives during this final development stage. The Kickstarter campaign will also have stretch goals that backers can vote on to determine what things will make it into the game with greater priority.
Kickstarter backers will also receive rewards depending on the amount of money they invest in the Kickstarter. If you pledge 50 dollars more you will be put into the game as a soldier. Your soldier will bear your name as well as your nationality. If you pledge the highest amount of money you will be put in the game during a special VIP event where you can choose your role in the event. They will also create a special in-game portrait of you based on a picture you can send them.
The developers aim to release a closed beta of the game in about three months that will be accessible for backers of the project. They expect the game to go live on Steam and GOG at the end of this year.
