Unsung Story
{{Infobox video game
| title = Unsung Story
| image = Unsung Story video game logo.png
| developer = Little Orbit
| publisher =
| platforms = {{ubl|Windows}}
| released = December 17, 2020 (early access)
| genre = Tactical role-playing
| modes = Single-player
| engine = Unity
| producer =
| designer =
| artist =
| writer =
| composer = Hitoshi Sakimoto
}}
Unsung Story is an upcoming tactical role-playing game developed by Little Orbit. The game was announced via the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter in early 2014 by developer Playdek, and originally marketed as being under the creative direction of Yasumi Matsuno and was meant to be a spiritual successor of Final Fantasy Tactics (1997), a game he directed.{{Cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-02-14/unsung-story-rpg-meets-kickstarter-goal-with-1-day-to-go|title=Unsung Story RPG Meets Kickstarter Goal With 1 Day to Go|date=February 14, 2014|publisher=Anime News Network|access-date=February 14, 2020}}{{cite web| url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/why-unsung-story-could-be-the-first-proper-successor-to-final-fantasy-tactics| title=Will Unsung Story be the First Proper Successor to Final Fantasy Tactics? Signs Look Good| author=Jeremy Parish| work=USGamer| date=2014-01-14| access-date=2016-10-02| archive-date=2016-05-30| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530140802/http://www.usgamer.net/articles/why-unsung-story-could-be-the-first-proper-successor-to-final-fantasy-tactics| url-status=dead}}
History
=Original concept=
Matsuno announced the project in September 2013, before moving to Kickstarter in January. The project raised $660,126 off a projected 2015 release.{{Cite web |last=Schreier |first=Jason |date=2017-08-02 |title=A Timeline Of Unsung Story, One Of The Biggest Kickstarter Failures Ever |url=https://kotaku.com/a-timeline-of-unsung-story-one-of-the-biggest-kickstar-1797466457 |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=Kotaku |language=en}} Artist Akihiko Yoshida and composer Hitoshi Sakimoto were also attached to the game.{{Cite web |last=Schreier |first=Jason |date=2014-02-12 |title=The Spiritual Successor To Final Fantasy Tactics Still Isn't Funded |url=https://kotaku.com/the-spiritual-successor-to-final-fantasy-tactics-still-1521405373 |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=Kotaku |language=en}}
By September 2015, the game was delayed into 2016. In February 2016, Playdek announced that development had been stopped for lack of resources.{{cite news|last1=Sykes|first1=Tom|title=Final Fantasy Tactics director's Unsung Story put on hold|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/final-fantasy-tactics-directors-unsung-story-put-on-hold/|access-date=23 September 2016|work=PC Gamer|date=7 February 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Good|first1=Owen S.|title=Development has stopped on Unsung Story, studio tells Kickstarter donors|url=http://www.polygon.com/2016/2/8/10937186/development-has-stopped-on-unsung-story-studio-tells-kickstarter-donors|access-date=23 September 2016|work=Polygon|date=8 February 2016}} This also marked the end of the involvement of Yasumi Matsuno with the project, though it was still marketed as is sometime in the future.{{cite web |last1=Fenlon |first1=Wes |title=10 years on, the most infamous gaming Kickstarter of them all is still trying to reach the finish line: 'I want to explicitly state that this project is not dead' |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/10-years-on-the-most-infamous-gaming-kickstarter-of-them-all-is-still-trying-to-reach-the-finish-line-i-want-to-explicitly-state-that-this-project-is-not-dead/ |website=PC Gamer |publisher=Future plc |access-date=16 October 2024 |date=16 October 2024}}
=Change of developer=
In August 2017, Playdek announced that Little Orbit would continue the game's development in their place, with Little Orbit buying all of the rights and assets and starting development from scratch.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/482445197/unsung-story-tale-of-the-guardians/posts/1952566|title=Update 56: A NEW BEGINNING... · Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians|website=Kickstarter|language=en-US|access-date=2017-08-01}}{{cite magazine | url=http://www.pcgamer.com/kickstarter-disaster-unsung-story-has-been-sold-to-the-developer-of-barbie-her-sisters-puppy-rescue/#comment-jump | title=Kickstarter disaster Unsung Story has been sold to the developers of Barbie & Her Sisters Puppy Rescue | last=Fenlon | first=Wes | magazine=PC Gamer | date=2017-08-01 }}{{Cite web |last=Schreier |first=Jason |date=2017-08-01 |title=Three Years After Raising $660,000 On Kickstarter, Unsung Story Developer Playdek Bails |url=https://kotaku.com/three-years-after-raising-660-000-on-kickstarter-unsu-1797446508 |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=Kotaku |language=en}}
=Early access release=
Unsung Story was released in early access for Windows on December 17, 2020. The early access version offered Chapter 1 of the game that consist of 7 missions and approximately 4 hours of gameplay.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamersfirst.com/unsung-story/news/2020/12/14/steam-early-access|title=Steam page, new Early Access trailer, and PC Steam keys!|publisher=gamersfirst.com|date=December 14, 2020|access-date=2025-03-04}}
Ports for macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One were planned at full release.{{cite web|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/littleorbit/unsung-story-tale-of-the-guardians/comments?comment=Q29tbWVudC0yNDMzOTkwMw%3D%3D&reply=Q29tbWVudC0yNDMzOTkzOQ%3D%3D |title=Unsung Story |website=Kickstarter |access-date=June 1, 2020}}
In 2021, Matthew Scott of Little Orbit shared to Kickstarter that Matsuno not been involved with day-to-day development of the game since 2018, and felt uncomfortable with his name being used in connection with the game. As a result, Little Orbit stopped using his name in the game's marketing."Early Access Update & Matsuno" - January 6, 2021 post to the game's Kickstarter-hosted blog.
The early access release was met with mostly negative reviews and Little Orbit were working to improve the game up to 2022, however the last time the game did receive an update was in 2021.{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/steam-early-access-warning-abandoned-unsung-story-1851756411 |title=Steam Adds A New Warning For Dead Early Access Games Like Unsung Story |first=Ethan|last=Gach|publisher=kotaku.com |date= February 5, 2025|access-date=2025-03-04}}
Since 2023 Little Orbit faced difficulties and no progress on the game was made until the October 2024 announcement that the work on the game would be resumed.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.gamersfirst.com/unsung-story/}}
Category:Early access video games
Category:Kickstarter-funded video games
Category:Tactical role-playing video games
Category:Video games scored by Hitoshi Sakimoto
Category:Single-player video games
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