Scorn is a grotesque little horror game that we’ve been following for years. It began as a strange email full of Giger-esque images with no explanation, leading two of our writers down a rabbit trail to find the source. From there, we learned a bit more about the strange world of Scorn. We’ve been covering the development ever since, watching for release news as 2017 winds down. We won’t be getting a release trailer anytime soon, though. Ebb Software has posted a new announcement that the game is both delayed and headed back to Kickstarter.
Honestly, a team admitting that their game needs more time and funds to reach the level of polish promised to backers is refreshing. Too often, games fail to meet expectations because the team did not feel comfortable telling existing backers that it was not where it needed to be before release. Saying that Scorn is doing well, but needs some more time and funding to be what the developers feel they promised is the kind of genuine, frank discussion backers need from an unknown indie team like Ebb.
The new campaign will kick off on September 5th. It is intended to give the team more resources for expanding the scope and polish of the game before release. Wisely, an exact release date has not been set for the delay, but we do know that Scorn won’t be released until 2018. Ebb is obviously hoping players who have backed it in the past might want to return for the latest round of funding. New backers may find that a new campaign gives them a chance to grab bonuses that everyone thought ended long ago. Either way, the team has set up a newsletter on the Scorn website to keep everyone updated on the state of development. Only time will tell if their open discussion with fans is enough to bring in the necessary funding when the campaign goes live next Tuesday.