If you’re looking for a good laugh this Christmas you might want to check out the absurd Kickstarter campaign for a new entry in the Black & White franchise. Solo creator Austin Moody is seeking only $15,000 for this ambitious project, despite having exactly ZERO experience in game design.

Right from the start there’s clearly something amiss as even the name is consistently spelled incorrectly. Austin – if you’re reading this it’s Black & White not ‘Black and white’ – note the ampersand and capital ‘W’. Then there’s the fact the Kickstarter itself consists of fewer than 300 words – it’s actually shorter than this very article you’re reading now.

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There’s no pitch video here, concept art or even any plans for the game. But maybe that’s just as well. I almost had to give Austin some credit for being aware of the fact there might be an issue with copyright, but then he shows himself up again by stating he may try to purchase the copyright from Microsoft. When of course, it’s EA he would have to speak to.

The only actual content in the Kickstarter is a rambling endorsement of the original Black & White and its sequel. Despite his apparent love for the franchise, Austin isn’t particularly well informed as he seems to be under the impression Black & White was the beginning of the god game genre – conveniently ignoring a number of earlier games such as Populous. He also seems to think that the Black & White series is now ‘all but forgotten’ and that he can single-handedly ‘reboot the god genre’. Really?

Black & White Austin Moody

The man behind the Kickstarter – Austin Moody.

There’s definitely a market for a new Black & White game. It’s one of the most requested games on GOG.com (only beaten by Diablo, Mechwarrior and Command & Conquer). But Austin Moody is not the person to make it. Or indeed, make any game. His Kickstarter profile states he’s an aspiring CEO and wants to set up his own video game company. If you need cheering up I recommend you have a read – the absolute lack of self-awareness is sure to raise a smile.

About the Author

Dan Miller

Dan’s gaming habit began in the 1980s with the NES and since joining Kickstarter in 2014 he’s backed over 100 crowdfunded projects - more than half of which were for video games. Hailing from the UK, he also writes for BrashGames.co.uk

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