No, that title isn’t a typo. Developer 8 Points announced last month that it was changing its name to Fntastic. This is to express gratitude to all the team members who’ve come and gone during development of The Wild Eight. The original studio name will continue to be listed as the game’s second developer.
“Our new name Fntastic stands for breaking the boundaries and art of imagination. They are our main tools in making The Wild Eight you’ll enjoy,” Fntastic CEO, Ed Gotovtsev wrote. The original name paid homage to the first eight developers who began the project.
Admittedly, I was a bit pessimistic when I first covered the Kickstarter launch for The Wild Eight. Fortunately, there were 1,257 backers who were willing to overlook my initial complaints and see the potential behind this plot-driven survival co-op. I might still be a little wary of the isometric view, but it’s no longer a deal breaker.
Surviving Is Only The First Challenge
Fntastic has put a lot of work in behind the scenes to get the game ready for its Steam Early Access release on February 8th. The upgrade system featured in the original pre-alpha demo and technical aspects of multiplayer have been completely redesigned ahead of the launch. The developers are planning to release new updates every two weeks as they continue to expand the world and improve game mechanics.
Backers began receiving their beta access keys last week. Backers also get the special cosmetic reward offered to early access players. Fntastic plans to spend the next 3 months in early access to fix minor bugs and work on game balance.
Be sure to add The Wild Eight to your Steam wishlist to be notified when the game goes live.
