Outerlands will be a six-episode documentary series on the people and culture of video games.
Area 5, the creators behind I Am Street Fighter and GROUNDED: Making The Last of Us, has begun a Kickstarter campaign for Outerlands, a documentary series about various topics concerning video game culture. Such topics may include the rise of streaming, e-sports, “mom n’ pop” game stores, game preservation, diversity, and many others.
The Outerlands series will contain six one-hour episodes and will examine the stories of people in video games, which Area 5 states it draws its inspiration from weekly radio program This American Life. The featured Kickstarter video focuses on the topic of video game preservation, a topic that Area 5 will most likely cover as it states the topic is easy to tackle in San Francisco, where Area 5 is located.
The project’s campaign goal is set at $210,000, but stretch goals include an original soundtrack, freelance journalists and producers to track down other stories, increased travel abroad, a larger crew, and a seventh episode.
In addition to the Area 5 team of Ryan O’Donnell, Matt Chandronait, Jason Bertrand, Cesar Quintero, and Rick Curnutte, musicians for Outerlands include Jim Guthrie (Indie Game: The Movie, Sword & Sworcery), Disasterpiece (Fez), and Virt (DuckTales: Remastered). Artists include Cory Schmitz (The Last of Us limited edition box art), David Hellman (Braid), and Phil Fish (Fez).
Hellman breaks down Outerlands‘ budget in a series of illustrations noting that production is the most expensive cost at $90,000 with travel expenses coming in second at $65,000. Area 5 explains in its campaign that traditional media outlets will not take on a “risk” like Outerlands as a documentary concerning video games.
“We don’t think it is a risk,” Area 5 states. “We think video games are a global cultural revolution that’s sweeping in whole new ways of looking at the world, inspiring countless people into new lives, and that untold numbers are aching for this kind of content.”
Source: Kickstarter
