StikiPixels, a development company based in London, has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a full release of their debut game, Occupy White Walls. The game is an MMO not based around combat but collaboratively displaying art. It was first released on Steam in Early Access in November of 2018, and the company hopes to utilize crowdfunding to create a more robust version of the game by the time they decide to release a full version.
Each player in Occupy White Walls is essentially able to build their own unique art gallery. This means designing the building in which the art is showcased using a set of in-game tools, as well as choosing the pieces of art to be displayed within that space.
Currently, the game features a database of 6,300 works of art, and an AI created to show new pieces to players based on their taste. Through the game's Early Access period, its players ultimately created a volume of digital gallery space equal to 336 times that of the Louvre museum. StikiPixels also points out that the total number of works of art is six times what the Tate Modern has on display, as a point of reference for just how literally huge the prospect of digital gallery space can be.
Following its Early Access period, among other features, StikiPixels is adding the ability for artists to upload their own work to the game. They can then either link to their own personal websites or interact directly with players to sell their works, purely through the framework provided by game. While it costs money to upload art to be displayed in-game in the first place, Kickstarter backers will receive upload codes (alongside other rewards) equal to more per donation tier than what they would cost individually.
Additionally, an in-game Patron system offers artists an alternative to paying to have their art uploaded. Patron codes are purchasable too, but can be gifted to artists and spent in lieu of the normal upload fee, providing those interested in supporting their favorite artists a lateral means by which to do so.
While a final release date for Occupy White Walls has yet to be announced, the Early Access version is currently playable through Steam.
Source: StikiPixels