This year has been full of wonderful surprises when it comes to the Kickstarter scene. I have come across another one of those surprises that has been added to the shuffle. I have been graced yet again with another chance to write about another upcoming project. So, lets continue our journey through Kickstarter.

This new Kickstarter campaign launched early August and will end early September 2024. A new card game entitled Console Wars from the company XboxEra has already reached its pledge goal in less then a week. The game allows you to collect spoofs of real-world gaming franchises such as Mood (Doom), and The Legend of Esmerelda (The Legend of Zelda) and protect them with fans from the gaming industry violence. Win the console wars and feel good about it!

I reached out to XboxEra for an interview and Jon Clarke responded promptly. While conversing I got to learn a bit about the company, the game, and Jon himself. It was an absolute pleasure to converse and become excited for the card game that him and his company are developing. So much so I went and backed it myself promptly as well.

Console Wars:  

The card game is a fun take on the real-life fan-based console wars in our gaming industry and how sometimes it can be toxic. The game has you collect IP, and build fans around it, and has you compete to become the best market leader in all the land.

Here is a video on what it is about and how it is played:

What is also really interesting and fun about the Console Wars game is all the interesting merch that they are selling to go along with the fun games that mimic the real life IPs. Check it out.

Interview:

Who are you and what role do you play in your company?

Hi! I’m Jon, and I’m the co-founder and editor in chief at XboxEra.com. I also, as you can now tell, dabble in game design!

What can you tell us about XboxEra?

XboxEra was founded in 2019 to provide a platform to what we felt was an underserved community – Xbox gamers. Somewhere for folks that actually played on Xbox as their main platform to discuss the console, the games, and the business around it without toxicity and drama. It’s gone pretty well so far! It started off being just a place to host our fledgling podcast, it soon blossomed into a youtube channel, news, reviews and our podcast is listened to in over 50 countries worldwide.

Have you utilized Kickstarter before?

Yes – we launched a book, “Celebrating 20 Years of Xbox” as part of the 20 Year anniversary of the original console. It was super successful, but I ended up going through a divorce, and then the pandemic hit, so there was a 2-year gap between being funded and actually shipping the thing. (and I lost £15k in shipping increases, which absolutely sucked)

What do you like about Kickstarter?

I like that it lets folks collectively take a chance on new ideas and new things. We’re a very small business, despite how awesome we look on the outside – we’re entirely community funded via Patreon and volunteers. So being able to do new things like this wouldn’t be possible without Kickstarter.

How was this game conceptualized?

I play card and boardgames regularly with friends, and I often joked about doing something with gaming and a card game. The Console Wars was an obvious choice, and it just grew from there. Primarily, we wanted to take the toxicity and cruelty of online video game discourse and turn it on its head – make a source of laughter and fun again. (While also taking some jabs at the state of the wider gaming industry!)

Who or what drives the motivation behind your project?

I love creating things. It gets me up in the morning. Seeing projects like this come together, seeing people have fun. That, and I genuinely think it’s an awesome, easy to learn but surprisingly tactical and strategic card game helps!

What card games do you play, and which ones stick out to you and your team as examples of what you are looking to strive for in terms of success?

I’ve played lots, from simple stuff like Exploding Kittens, BANG!, Monopoly Deal to broader things like Pandemic, Risk etc. I’m not actually what you would call a traditional board game nerd, but I love adversarial, banter-inducing times with friends. Console Wars drives all that sort of behavior. It’s a sit round, few drinks, have a laugh with each other type game.

Any advice for people thinking about starting a Kickstarter campaign?

I’m no expert, but plan everything – EVERYTHING – to the letter. Know every cost, at every quantity, so you can plan for every single contingency. And always, always plans for the worst-case scenario. You’ll sleep easier.

Where can people reach out to you?

Folks can find my reviews, both written and video over at XboxEra.com, in our community discord – discord.gg/xboxera and on X (Formerly Twitter) via @_Sikamikanico_

Bonus question: What are your all-time favorite games series or genres you enjoy?

Halo, without a doubt. I grew up on it, so I’ll always have a soft spot for it. I actually worked on Forge for Halo Infinite with 343, so I’m in the credits of the game for that one! Outside of that, it’s indie gaming and unique, focused experiences for me nowadays. I’m too old to spend hours in lengthy RPGs or Live Service games.

Much Thanks:

I want to sincerely thank Jon for sparing some time to talk with me and provide some great answers to the questions I had. Talking to people within an industry I love helps us learn and understand one another and allows us to be fans of certain games without starting a console war. Please check out XboxEra and there Kickstarter project Console Wars

As usual I want to one day be part of a Kickstarter campaign to see for myself the challenging work that goes into the whole ordeal. For now, I will continue my Kickstarter journey, so please check out my past series and if you have a campaign that you would like me to interview you or check out, please let me know. Contact and reach out @Stillsaneshane I would love to hear from you. 

Please enjoy other entries in my Kickstarter series.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10

As always I appreciate everyone of you who has taken time to read my series and supported my writing and life goals. Your continued encouragement has given me the drive and passion I have needed to continue my love for writing.

Share your reactions below or join the conversation on the Boss Rush Discord.  

Shane Kelley is a Senior writer for Boss Rush Network, as well as a writer for Another Zelda Podcast. His favorite game is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. You can find him on Twitter to talk video games, Marvel, and axe throwing.