We don’t usually report Kickstarters here on TSA purely because there are so many of them and they don’t always get funded, but I think quite a few of you will be interested in Antstream, which has already been funded.
Put simply, Antstream is Netflix for retrogames. You don’t need to configure emulators or source ROMs, just download the app which will launch on PC (Windows and Mac), Xbox One, and Android and get playing the golden oldies. Most importantly, and unlike many other retro systems, the creators of the games are being fairly compensated.
https://youtu.be/j8w1g7x8EjY?t=19
The service has already signed up over two thousand games and will launch with four hundred titles. They include games for the Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Sega Megadrive, and original Arcade versions. You can find a full list here and there’s some really excellent games on the list including Xenon II, Exelon, Ikari Warriors, The Chaos Engine, Super Cars II, Wizkid, Zool, Double Dragon, and Gods.
Antstream also includes it’s own challenge system which enables you to challenge friends to Score Attacks, Speed Runs and Boss Rushes amongst others.
As mentioned the Kickstarter has already met is targeting of £50,000 and there’s still nine days left. £28 gets you a six month subscription to Antstream when it launches this August, higher tiers get you early access and longer subscriptions. One of top tiers, a £250 donation, will get you a lifetime subscription to the service so if you are a keen retro gamer that could be an enticing deal.
You may have noticed that one format is missing from the list of supported devices. “With the new stretch goal, we hope to bring the PlayStation 4 version forward, allowing even more fans of retro games to start playing on Antstream before the year is over,” comments Steve Cottam, CEO at Antstream.
The PS4 stretch Goal is set at £60,000, so could well be reached before the conclusion of the Kickstarter.
Source: Press release / Kickstarter
MrYd
Is it just some of the previous Kickstarters that went a bit wrong making me suspicious? They suddenly turn to Kickstarter after working on it for 4 years, and then decide a PS4 version might be a good idea and ask for more money? Are the people that made all those games decades ago _really_ going to get paid anything?
Tuffcub
Lots of them are featured giving interviews on the Antstream YouTube channel so they’re clearly behind it.