A year after Genesis: Battle of Champions died and was resurrected, it looks like the game is making a slow and steady comeback. Edge of Exile Entertainment (EOE), the new owners, released a new expansion set late last year (Invasion) and are now getting the next one ready, hoping to get it out soon. They celebrated their 50th livestream episode a week ago and used the occasion to announce some “big news.” A new Kickstarter campaign is kicking off on July 8th.

This is not the first Kickstarter for Genesis, Battle of Champions. Back in 2022, the world was a different place. The game was still run by Haunted Castle Gaming; we were still dealing with the repercussions of COVID 19; interests rates were starting to climb to levels unseen in a while. The campaign closed with more than 600 backers (666 to be precise – read into that what you want) and nearly CA$350,000 raised.

Things promise to be different this time around. The new ownership wants to try something very different with this campaign. Unlike the previous one, this upcoming one will not offer booster boxes. Instead, it will focus on various exclusive backer rewards. As Jason Malott, EOE President, explained during the livestream, the idea is to offer products that will not cannibalize LGS sales but offer complimentary products for fans of the game.

The Kickstarter is expected to launch on July 8th, a bit later than Canada Day. A nice touch if it would have happened as Genesis is a Canadian-made game.

In terms of funding tiers, we will get exact information when the campaign goes live but up for grabs will be:

• T-shirts featuring new art for Champions such as Erika and Oni
• A Kickstarter exclusive playmat. The design is not finalized but it could be a map of Jaelara
• Tokens featuring your backer or content creator name
• Character cards based on your appearance either in Metamorphosis or Cataclysm
• New Exert tokens from the same creator who made the commemorative Invasion Release Day ones
• Kickstarter exclusive set of non-foil alternate art Champions appearing in Metamorphosis
• Serialized set of alternate art of each Champion appearing in Metamorphosis
• A very limited ultimate tier where you will get a chance to guest host on the Genesis BOC livestream

EOE hopes to raise at least $40,000 with the Kickstarter campaign. The funds will be used to accelerate plans, including getting Metamorphosis, the next set, to market faster (“hopefully before the cold weather,” according to Jason. Other plans for the funds include the launch of organized play and getting listed on TCGPlayer.

EOE also shared their Plan B should the Kickstarter fail. This includes delaying the release of Metamorphosis and organized play, possibly into next year. They also have alternative fundraising plans. Here’s hoping that they will not be needed.

I’ll update this post once the Kickstarter is live with more information on the different tiers.

Update:

A few new details:

• The Kickstarter is expected to kick off on July 8th
• Special discounts will be offered for the first 24 hours
• If the campaign goal of $40,000 is reached, Metamorphosis will immediately go to the printers
• Stretch goals for $45,000, $50,000 (including an enhanced Organized Play program), $60,000 (with OP promo packs), $70,000 (special commemorative exert tokens) and $150,000 (to get onboarded on TCGPlayer.com)

Update #2 (July 8th, 2024):

The Kickstarter campaign is live! It looks like a good start with the campaign almost 20% backed already!