New RTS from StarCraft 2 vets raised over $35 million in crowdfunding and investment, but its Mixed early access reviews suggest it needs a bit more time in the oven

Stormgate, the new real-time strategy game created by a team of former Warcraft and StarCraft 2 developers, is finally here, but players' reactions to it so far suggest that it's not quite living up to the hype generated by its massive fundraising efforts.

Developed by Frost Giant Studios, there was never any doubt that Stormgate had got strategy fans' attention, with many showing their support with their wallets. It raised over $2 million on Kickstarter thanks to prospective players' donations, smashing through its initial $100,000 goal, and then the studio went on to seek equity funding – encouraging fans to invest in the studio itself to help support the game. At the time of writing, Frost Giant has been able to secure over $1 million this way from 419 investors. This came after the studio received $34.7 million from other investors, including Riot Games, via Seed and Series A funding.

Needless to say, expectations are high, but Stormgate released in early access on Steam yesterday for previous playtesters, as well as backers and those who bought early access packs, and its reviews aren't exactly fantastic. Right now, after 374 reviews (from people who purchased the game via Steam), 56% are positive, and it's earned itself a 'Mixed' score. While its multiplayer has been praised, some are unhappy with how "slow" the game feels and have criticized the "generic, bland" campaign.

Of course, it's definitely worth keeping in mind that key phrase – 'early access.' It's not currently been announced when Stormgate's 1.0 version will be released – a FAQ page suggests it won't be for "at least a year, but that's subject to change." On August 13, it'll go free-to-play, allowing everyone to dive in at no extra cost, which will certainly bring with it more feedback. Here's hoping that Frost Giant will be able to act on the constructive criticism to create the RTS that fans want, even if it takes a little more time.

CEO behind Warcraft and StarCraft vets' new strategy game defends asking players to invest in the studio, even after raising $35 million across fundraising efforts.