Clannad Coming To America, Crushes Kickstarter

Clannad is a classic visual novel, the likes of which most genre fans have either heard of, played via a fan patch, or simply watched the anime version. The impact of Key’s iconic game is palpable in the industry, even years after its Japanese debut in 2004. If you think that a semi “old” visual novel can’t generate attention then think again. The Clanned Kickstarter by Sekai Project has already destroyed its $140,000 goal with no signs of slowing down. With 58 days to go, it’s anyone’s guess just how much this campaign will eventually raise.

What does Sekai Project need this sturdy sum of money for when Clannad is an older, complete title? For one, they’re going to ensure that the game’s text receives a high quality professional translation. With more lines of text than Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” one can expect that this won’t come cheap. Of course, as with many other visual novels, they require a portion of the funds to be allotted for licensing the performances of the game’s various voice actors. Clanned is a fully voiced visual novel (minus the protagonist).

With this successful campaign, the team will be able to create a boxed copy of Clannad alongside releasing it via Steam. As a die hard collector of physical visual novels, I personally backed the early bird $40 tier for a boxed version. Sorry, that’s no longer available, though you can still nab them at the slightly higher price of $50. Clannad finally receiving an official English release is a monumental moment in visual novel history, and you can expect to see a review here on Cliqist once it’s finally out.

Track the progress of the Clannad Kickstarter on our campaign calendar.