Final Fantasy Tactics creator Matsuno's Kickstarter takes in $120k+ so far

Today, Playdek -- creators of popular mobile trading card game Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer -- launched a Kickstarter for Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians, a new strategy RPG designed by Yasumi Matsuno, who's known for games such as Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Vagrant Story. The game was already due to head to iOS and Android, but if the campaign meets its $600,000 goal, it'll head to PC and Mac, "fully developed for agnostic platform play" across all target devices. Stretch goals include support for PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS. Moreover, if certain goals are met, Matsuno will be joined by frequent collaborators Hitoshi Sakimoto (composer on Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII, among other games) and Alexander O. Smith (translator and writer on Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy XII, among others.) As of this writing, despite having been up less than 24 hours, the campaign has already taken in over $120,000. While Kickstarter has become increasingly popular for game developers, veterans of popular franchises have in particular seen great success on the platform. Japanese creators are so far less likely to pursue crowdfunding, however, with Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune's successful Mighty No. 9 the first major campaign from a Japanese industry veteran. Also unusual is the fact that Matsuno is working with Carlsbad, California-based Playdek and not a Japanese studio; his last released game, Crimson Shroud, was developed with Fukuoka, Japan-based Level-5. Matsuno left the company after that project's completion.