That was sooner than expected! Sekai Project’s CLANNAD Official English Release Kickstarter has launched! And it’s already exceeding expectations! In less than 5 hours, the project has raised nearly $80,000 of its $140,000 goal, with over 1000 backers! All of the limited-number reward tiers have sold out already except for the $7000 tier. This is phenomenal! A true testament to people’s love of CLANNAD.
Included on the Kickstarter page is a heartfelt letter from the president and CEO of VisualArt’s, Baba Takahiro.
Man, I can’t express how cool this is. It’s a moment many of us have dreamed of for years, but many never really believed would happen. Today, it’s a reality; our beloved tale is finally crossing the seas to be experienced by the world! This our chance to show Key and VisualArt’s just how much we care, and prove that there is a market for their visual novels in the west. This is it guys! planetarian was the prelude; this is the true final battle! If we succeed here, then the future of Key’s releases in English is secure! Get your wallets ready; it’s time for one last push!
UPDATE: Sekai Project have teased us with some possibilities. First, they’re looking at adding more spots to the $1000 tier, but they’ll be sure let everybody know once it’s confirmed before adding them to the Kickstarter so people can prepare. Secondly, they’re looking at stretch goals. One in particular they’re discussing is bringing HD assets from the PS3 version of the game to their release. If this happens, it would be the world’s first high-definition CLANNAD on PC! That’s a reason for even Japanese people who already own the game to pledge to the project! They also mentioned that while many were requesting a voice for Tomoya, since no known assets exist, it’s very unlikely that they will include them in this release. Lastly, they ended their tease with the promise of another “~amazing~” announcement tomorrow. We’ll be sure to keep you up to date!
UPDATE 2: The project has been successfully funded! After the long, long journey, a miracle has happened. Congratulations Sekai Project, VisualArt’s, and all the fans who’ve waited so long. We did it!
UPDATE 3: The Kickstarter has been updated to inform backers that the physical release has been upgraded! What we’ll be receiving is promised to emulate the original 2004 first edition release as closely as possible. That means a physical copy of the Mabinogi arrange album and the Official GuideBook will be included in the box! Photos of the first edition box are provided on the post to give you an idea of what to look forward to. And of course, we’re promised with more ideas they “can’t talk about yet”. Stay tuned!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sekaiproject/clannad-official-english-release
Let us know which tiers you pleged for in the discussion below!
