Elite Dangerous: Difference between revisions

'''Elite Dangerous''' is definitive massively multiplayer space epic and fourth game in the legendary [[:Category:Elite series|Elite series]]. The PC version was released on December 16, 2014. It was partially funded via a [[Kickstarter]] campaign.<ref>[http://www.pcgamer.com/elite-dangerous-crowdfunding-covered-less-than-one-quarter-of-its-total-cost-creator-says/ Chalk, Andy. "Elite: Dangerous Creator Says Crowdfunding Covered Less than One-quarter of Its Total Cost." PC Gamer, 11 Sept. 2014. Web. 14 Jan. 2015.]</ref> The Mac version was released on May 12, 2015.<ref>https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/05/elite-dangerous-now-available-for-macs-both-direct-and-on-steam/</ref> The Xbox One version launched on October 6, 2015.<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/articles/elite-dangerous-xbox-one-release-date-revealed/1100-6430369/ Hussain, Tamoor. "Elite: Dangerous Xbox One Release Date Revealed." GameSpot, 8 Sept. 2015.]</ref> The PlayStation 4 version is coming on June 27, 2017.<ref>https://blog.us.playstation.com/2017/05/16/elite-dangerous-touches-down-on-ps4-june-27/</ref>

==Development andDevelopment Expansions==

Back in 2012 space sims were unpopular withamong publishers so it was difficult to attract funding for such a project. Publishers would want to steer the game in a particular direction which was unacceptable for Braben. In an interview he said ''"Working with publishers is great, but as part of the process, inevitably the publisher will want to steer the game in a particular direction. It happened with “Elite” – the game was rejected by Thorne-EMI because it was so different to what had gone before; to what they believed would be successful because those sort of games were successful before. They wanted three lives, a score and a ten minute play time. That was because that was the norm at the time. Today, we would be steered to make a game with cut-scenes that would appeal to an imagined audience. That is not the game I want to make."''<ref>httphttps://www.incgamerspcinvasion.com/2012/11/davidcredits-brabencobras-publisherand-modelcrowd-preventedfunding-developmentdavid-ofbraben-newtells-us-about-elite/-dangerous</ref>

[[Frontier Developments|Frontier]] had been working on the game as a "skunk-works" background activity for some time prior to its Kickstarter launch. Other projects were prioritized.<ref>http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/06/elite_dangerous_on_kickstarter/</ref> ItElite Dangerous uses Frontier's own state-of-the-art in-house COBRA Engine tools and technology. COBRA has been carefully planned, developed and evolved since 1988.<ref>http://www.frontier.co.uk/our_technology/</ref>

Over a quarter of a century after the original, David Braben of [[Frontier Developments]] launched a successful Kickstarter campaign in November 2012. The purpose was to test-market the concept, verify whether there's broader interest in a fourth game and to raise funds to help make the game in November 2012.

Braben wrote: ''"We’re using Kickstarter both as a means of test-marketing the concept to verify there is still interest in such a game that extends beyond the individuals who regularly contact me about the game, and raising the funds to do so. There is also the fact that as long as we hit the threshold, it commits us to making the game."''<ref>http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/06/elite_dangerous_on_kickstarter/</ref>  By April 2014, £1.7m had been raised.<ref>http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/DAVID-ELKS-thesentinel/story-20992380-detail/story.html</ref> This was a fraction of the total budget for developing the base-game, Elite Dangerous (1.0). At Gamescom 2014 Braben said "The original budget, because we put a lot of our money towards it, was £8m," "it's grown by quite a lot".<ref>http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-09-11-elite-dangerous-original-budget-was-8m</ref>

Those who pledged big during the Kickstarter got beta-access. People also bought beta access at £50 a pop. This included the full game. In mid-August 2014, more than 75,000 people were playing the Elite: Dangerous beta, providing ''"more and more money that moves ever closer to the game breaking even in a really good way"."''<ref>http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-09-11-elite-dangerous-original-budget-was-8m</ref>

Elite Dangerous (1.0) was released for Windows PC on December 16, 2014. Since then it has had many updates and launched on multiple platforms. The Mac version was released on May 12, 2015.<ref>https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/05/elite-dangerous-now-available-for-macs-both-direct-and-on-steam/</ref> The Xbox One version launched on October 6, 2015.<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/articles/elite-dangerous-xbox-one-release-date-revealed/1100-6430369/ Hussain, Tamoor. "Elite: Dangerous Xbox One Release Date Revealed." GameSpot, 8 Sept. 2015.]</ref> The PlayStation 4 version is coming on June 27, 2017.<ref>https://blog.us.playstation.com/2017/05/16/elite-dangerous-touches-down-on-ps4-june-27/</ref>

Post-launch it can be estimated that the development budget for Elite Dangerous has been in the tens of millions of pounds, perhaps over a hundred million pounds including major updates and expansions like [[Elite Dangerous: Horizons]]|Elite throughDangerous 2017Horizons]].