Camelot Unchained is meant to be the spiritual successor of Mark Jacobs’ Dark Age of Camelot and seeks to become one of the newest PvP-focused MMORPGs on the block. Dark Age of Camelot has one of the most memorable settings ever presented in an MMORPG with its Arthurian background. The game takes place after the death of King Arthur and we see Camelot in disarray. Camelot Unchained is meant to continue the 2001 game’s legacy but decisions during the development of the game have left some scarring wounds on its fans and not everyone has recovered from them.
Addressing the Camelot Unchained Controversy
Back in February 2020, Mark Jacobs announced a brand new game titled “Final Stand: Ragnarok” which sent backers of Camelot Unchained into a frenzy. Camelot Unchained commenced development years before the announcement of Final Stand: Ragnarok and the first beta took place four years ago.
Jacobs wanted to control the situation and immediately issued an apology. He said at the time that Camelot Unchained’s development will continue and that his team has the backers’ best interests at heart. But words were not quite enough to persuade the community which is why he took to a live stream.
The live stream revealed how Ragnarok: Colossus’ development helped bolster the development of Camelot Unchained and it did not sit well with fans. While some players may not be aware of all the controversy because it happened so long ago, many who have been actively following Camelot’s development immediately asked for refunds.
There was some issue with the refunds as well. The game developers revealed that refunds were indeed being issued to all players who wanted to cancel their backing except those who backed the game in non-refundable tiers.
While the game claims that it has earned over $17.5 Million USD, it is unknown how much of it was revoked due to fan outrage. The crowdfunding campaign raised over $4.5 Million while Jacobs and CSE investors raised an additional $5 Million and $7.5 Million respectively.
The announcement of Ragnarok was not the only issue that fans had with the game. The first Kickstarter campaign alone raised over $2.2 Million and we received the very first Alpha in 2015 soon after. Various stretch goals were achieved over the years after the initial funding and the total backer investment grew to the aforementioned $4.5 Million figure.
Things began to look grim after the beta scheduled for July 2015 was delayed and there was a three-year delay between the promised date and the day we actually received a beta. The developers claimed that there were serious flaws in the ability system and that is what apparently took over most of the time.
With the developers failing to deliver on their promises on one project, fans are having a hard time believing that we will get two polished games anytime soon. In 2021, CSE received a second federal government loan of over $700,000. In October 2022, the development studio notified the SEC about offering additional shares over what it had previously offered in 2018 for another $10 Million USD. Things are not looking good even outside the controversy surrounding the fact that two games are in development simultaneously and that there has been a delay of over three years.
Looking Past the Noise
All controversies aside, there are players who are unaware of everything that transpired. And of course, there are players who do not care about the development issues as long as it means they get a solid game they can have fun in. So what’s new in the upcoming game?
The game's highlight for me is the new Camelot Unchained Building Environment (CUBE) which has been teased for quite some time. It seems to be similar to building games but with advanced textures. The builder takes advantage of the same graphics and UI system from Camelot Unchained. It is an advanced tool that is available to all backers of the game.
In addition to the PvP focus that was teased by Mark Jacobs, there will also be some realm-versus-realm action. If you have played Guild Wars 2, you know exactly what I am talking about. The developers have promised massive PvP battles featuring entire realms and it is definitely worth keeping an eye on. Server populations need to be high to assist this kind of combat and making it a fair and fun experience can also be a challenge.
Not much else is known about the game except that we will delve into the same Arthurian world. The lore around Camelot is very engaging and it’s great to see developers exploring it in video games. We have seen various RPGs come out over the years and it’s great to see an MMORPG continue the legacy of Darke Age of Camelot.
Whether or not CSE will deliver on its promises and I can only help but be skeptical about the game once it actually releases.
Should You Be Excited for Camelot Unchained?
It is very difficult to be excited about Camelot Unchained considering the development issues faced by the studio. If you are planning on trying the game out we recommend waiting for an official launch and reviews from MMORPG. Before you decide to pledge to the project, look at community feedback and reviews from creators and media outlets that you trust before taking a dive. The game has a lot of promise to it and CSE has made some massive claims about how Ragnarok will bolster Camelot’s development but we need to give it some time to see if all of the developmental claims are true or not.
That being said, there are plenty of players deciding to give Camelot Unchained a chance. As an average gamer, all I can say is I hope Camelot Unchained fans get the game that they deserve and hopefully the game sees a smooth launch with tons of content fans can be excited for.
