As part of its new Collective initiative, Square Enix is asking indie developers to pitch them ideas for new entries in a handful of dormant franchises. Currently, the program is only seeking ideas for new titles in the Gex, Fear Effect, and Anachronox series, but the program may feature more in the future.
For those unaware, Collective is a crowd-funding program being run by Square Enix. Developers are allowed to submit their title for review through the site, and every project is put to a community vote. The one that gets the most votes will then go to either Kickstarter or Indiegogo for funding, but will receive the full benefit of being sponsored by the world-renowned studio.
With the news that past Collective title Goetia reached its Kickstarter goal, Square Enix is now opening its vault for developers to mess around in. Every project relating to Gex, Fear Effect, and Anachronox still has to be approved, with approval mostly being determined by how relevant the pitch is to the property. This doesn’t mean that the publisher is looking for straight-up sequels to these titles, though.
It *doesn’t* mean that we’re looking for straight-up sequels – we’d love to see different takes on those universes. What would Gex look like in a side-scrolling adventure, or a turn-based strategy? So feel free to mash up genres, and get creative.
Of all the properties being teased here, the one I would be most interested in seeing return would have to be Fear Effect. It’s a franchise I remember playing back on the PlayStation, which considering the subject matter, was probably something I shouldn’t have been doing. Regardless, the world and story of the title is something that could work in this current gaming landscape.
Would you be interested in seeing Gex, Anachronox, or Fear Effect make a grand return through the Square Enix Collective program? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
