The game designed by a Finn collected more than three million dollars in crowdfunding

How making over three million dollars from customers before they even receive the product they purchased?

Although by making a religion-themed miniatures game about fighting the devils of hell in the trenches of World War I.

That’s how you could answer Tuomas Pirinen. He is one of Finland’s most internationally successful game designers, with a career spanning over thirty years at companies such as Microsoft, Ubisoft, EA, Remedy, Nintendo and Capcom. Now he is a senior director of game design at Playstation.

Designed by him and produced over three million Trench Crusade not a console game though. It is the own project of Pirinen and a few other respected long-time creators in the field. There is, for example, Diablo-game series artist Michael Franchina.

“We have made a career working for large companies. This was a crazy way to waste time and money.”

The millions came from the Kickstarter crowdfunding service where the game was released. Through it, those who wish can commit to buying the game. There are different versions with different prices. The campaign generated $3,331,000 (approx. EUR 3,152,000) in two weeks. It is probably a record set by a Finn in crowdfunding.

“It went fabulously well. The useless Finnish feigned humility is a bit false. I hope that this would encourage Finnish game designers and other creators in the creative industry. It is possible to succeed.”

Trench Crusade is a miniatures game. The game includes rules, miniatures, environment building elements and dice.

The player has an army of small plastic and resin miniatures to fight against another player’s army. In military games, the most famous of which is the sci-fi war game Warhammer 40 000there must be hundreds of miniatures at best. They all have to be bought and painted.

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“It’s a bit like Band of Brothers, where a band of soldiers goes through the war.”

Trench Crusade is lighter. “With six miniatures, you can start the game quickly and with little effort.”

The name of the game means trench crusade. The battlefield is the trenches of the First World War. The parties to the war are different nations and religious groups, as well as demons from hell. They were released 800 years earlier, at the time of the Crusades. Since then, there has been a war between heaven and hell.

The player guides his troops through events that unfold according to the story.

“It’s a bit like what if Band of Brotherswhere a troop of soldiers goes through the war.”

Miniature games there are many sides to the hobby.

“Someone is interested in reading the background story of books, someone collects and paints miniatures, someone likes artists and buys game books as art books, someone plays racing, someone else as a role-playing cooperative game.”

Kickstarter’s success is all the more special because players would have had to buy nothing. The rules of the game have already been published for free and the game can be played with any miniatures.

This goes against the general practice of the industry. According to the rules, the games of the market leader Games Workshop must be played with the miniatures produced by it.

“It is a listed company that accounts for shareholders. I don’t want to moralize it.”

Games Workshop is Pirinen’s former employer, for whom he made things popular, among other things Mordheim-game.

Crowdfunding with success Trench Crusade grow bigger. According to Pirinen, the popularity has attracted the interest of investors. Other players in the industry have also announced their willingness to expand the world of the game.

Two takes place in a version of the real world. It’s rare. Pirinen thinks one of the reasons is the fear of dealing with religion. Especially in the United States, it is a sensitive topic. A big game company probably wouldn’t have published such a game.

“It is impossible to separate cultural heritage from Christianity in the West. We see it as an asset.”

Pirinen tells the background story of the game, which explores the interaction of faith with war, what a world and war would look like in an endless war. Of course, you can play the game without thinking about such things any more.

Warhammer 40 000 – in the fan community there is a very small but very loud racist wing. Early on, they made videos in which Trench Crusade was declared a failure. According to Pirinen, they were angry, for example, that Ethiopia is presented as an equal partner of Western countries.

Trench Crusaden the team has been praised for systematically and quickly throwing racists out of the game’s forums.

“We are proud that the community has all kinds of people with different identity paths, different beliefs, nationalities. Everyone should be able to be part of the community without fear of harassment.”

Miniature gaming is a big hobby and also a business in the world. It can rise to the next level when a Hollywood star Henry Cavillin currently doing for Amazon Prime Warhammer 40 000-TV series appears. Cavill is an active miniatures game enthusiast.

Has Pirinen introduced the game to Cavill?

“Not yet. We do have mutual acquaintances, so maybe at some point. We don’t want to push you, Cavill is a genuine enthusiast.”