Lifeless Planet is a game I really wanted to like. It's built around an incredibly intriguing premise about a one-way mission to an alien world, and the discovery that you're not actually the first to visit. It ultimately didn't live up to my expectations, but I've never stopped thinking that it's still a really fantastic idea. Apparently I'm not the only one.
Lifeless Planet creator David Board revealed a new Kickstarter today aimed at funding the creation of Lifeless Planet: Arrival, a live-action film focusing on the two members of the crew who leave the doomed spaceship to explore ahead of the game's protagonist. The game never delves into what drove them to leave their fellow astronaut behind, what they experienced during their time on the alien world, or how they came to grief; the film, however, "is their story."
Several production companies had expressed interest in making a Lifeless Planet film, Board said, but he opted to go with Wayside Creations, a studio with a history of game-related projects including Fallout: Nuka Break, Aperture R&D, and a Legend of Grimrock series that was successfully Kickstarted earlier this year. The film is expected to run five to seven minutes in length, although it could be expanded into something bigger with sufficient funding: The initial Kickstarter goal is $20,000, but Board said stretch goals will be added later.
As Board says in the Kickstarter pitch video, Lifeless Planet's success is due primarily to its story, and while I would have preferred to see it fleshed out within the game itself, it's a pretty natural fit for film, too. I was initially attracted to the game by the cinematic quality of its teasers, so I'm actually pretty optimistic about Arrival working out—assuming it gets funded, of course.
The Lifeless Planet: Arrival Kickstarter is live now and runs until November 10.