It took The Banner Saga 3—the third and supposed final chapter of Stoic Studio's gorgeous Viking-themed tactical role-player—just one week to hit its $200,000 crowdfunding goal. At the time of writing, its Kickstarter campaign has accrued over $250k, and with 27 days left on the clock there's plenty of time to add more to that again as the project now targets its stretch goals.
During a Reddit AMA, Stoic admitted to having some "exciting news" regarding voiceovers—a feature which hasn't appeared in the series thus far—in line with the current Kickstarter.
"We hope to have exciting news about this goal. It is an expensive thing to get in the game for a small studio like ours, but it's something we'd love to offer the community," says the developer. "Can't say much more about it, but if you want to see this someday, please support the Kickstarter that we're currently running."
Reddit users were quick to suggest voicing their own interpretations of The Banner Saga's whimsical cast is central to their enjoyment, and that introducing professional voiceovers could risk belittling its charm.
"We have a lot of debate internally about that," adds Stoic. "Some folks definitely like that feeling you get from a novel that the voices are acted in your imagination. If it comes to pass, I'm excited to do some experimentation to figure out how to get it right. I love the voices we've worked with thus far, and want to maintain that level of Nordic grit."
Beyond the imminent third chapter of the saga, Stoic says it would also love to explore new stories within the series' universe—such as tales set in the Dalalond, the land of the valleys, or perhaps even beyond The Vast's waters to the west.
"Are there going to be more stories in this world?" Stoic asks somewhat rhetorically. "We sure hope so. Oddly it's only kind-of up to us. We've stated regularly that we'd love to do more, the story we're telling is only the tip of the iceberg, but it's up to the community really. Are people buying the game and telling their friends? That's all we need. Even a small team needs to make enough money to continue the journey. We'll see how Banner Saga 3 is received."
As per its Kickstarter page, The Banner Saga 3's Kickstarter pledges are due to be delivered by 2018. The release date of The Banner Saga 3 is yet to be announced.
