Skip to main content

Ukrainian dev turns to Kickstarter to finish Sherlock Holmes game

Ukrainian game developer Frogwares has announced Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened and asked its fans to help fund the final stages of the game’s development on Kickstarter.

Frogwares unveiled Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened on Thursday, explaining it takes place a few years after the events of Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, which came out last November. Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is an Unreal Engine 4 remake of a 2007 game where Holmes and Watson take their first case together involving the strange disappearances linked to the Cthulhu Mythos of Lovecraftian legend.

Recommended Videos

The developers already locked in a bulk of the remake’s content, new features, and a reworked storyline that more closely ties in the events of the game to the adventures of the younger Sherlock from Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One. All Frogwares needs now is the funding for additional resources, including new English voice-acting, extensive QA testing, and extra features and enhancement ideas it has.

(4K) Sherlock Holmes The Awakened | Reveal Trailer | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch.

Like any indie game developer, Frogwares would normally secure production funds from the sales of their previous games. But today, the Kyiv-based company is asking fans for their help to donate funds to finish the production of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened in the midst of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. That’s why Frogwares turned to Kickstarter when a studio of its pedigree normally wouldn’t.

“Under normal circumstances, we would secure the funding for our next game ourselves from the sales of our previous titles and plan development accordingly,” Frogwares wrote in the Risks and Challenges section of its campaign. “But this war is continually throwing new challenges at us that each time requires we stop, regroup and adapt. This takes time, effort, and in many cases money that was normally set aside to fund the production of the game. This is why we have chosen to run a crowdfunding campaign.”

Frogwares comprises a team of over 90 developers, but some of them are either serving in the Ukrainian military to fend off Russian troops or went to work with humanitarian aid organizations, so it’s stretched thin. “This safety net will allow us to put our team’s needs and safety first as we adapt further without derailing the entire development and funding,” the developers write.

Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is slated to launch on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Epic Games Store in February 2023 if it meets its $71,000 goal on Kickstarter. As of this writing, the campaign has raised over $56,000.

Cristina Alexander
Cristina Alexander is a gaming and mobile writer at Digital Trends. She blends fair coverage of games industry topics that…
Nintendo Switch 2: everything we know so far
Prime Day Nintendo Switch Deals

Rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2 have been circulating for years. Whispers of the next-gen Nintendo console first started when The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was initially teased in 2019, then gained steam when the Switch OLED launched in 2021. Now that Nintendo has properly confirmed that it's working on a new console, rumors have only gotten more frequent. We've even hit the point where we're seeing more credible photos and spec leaks trickle out.

There's no doubt that the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic console -- it has a unique and impressive game library (with more upcoming games slated for this year), the number of features included with Nintendo Switch Online is constantly improving, and it's still our favorite portable console -- but it isn't without its flaws. There's enough room for improvement to warrant an entirely new console in the near future.

Read more
PS5 vs. PS5 Pro: Is the PlayStation 5 Pro worth the upgrade?
A PS5 Pro that's floating in front of a gray background. It's turned to the side.

The PlayStation 5 Pro is here and promises to make the best PS5 games even better. However, those improvements don't come cheap. Just like the DualSense Edge was a premium version of the default PS5 controller, the Pro model is being sold as an option for gamers who want the best possible experience. But this is way bigger of an investment than an accessory, so is the Pro worth that extra cost, or are you better off sticking with your base model and installing a new SSD? And is it worth snagging a PS5 Pro when the PS6 is on its way? Let's put the PS5 and PS5 Pro head-to-head and see which makes the most sense for all the upcoming PS5 games you have your eye on.
PS5 vs. PS5 Pro specs

Now that the PS5 Pro is in our hands we can fully dive into the technical details. The Pro model has had several performance boosts over the base model that will not only make future games look and possibly run better but also boost existing ones that receive a patch and thousands of backward-compatible PS4 games. Here's a quick rundown of how the two consoles compare.

Read more
How to revive in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Rook, Harding, and Varric with weapons out in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

You're fighting tooth and nail against a powerful enemy in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but suddenly you run out of potions and they hit you with a strong attack and bring you to zero HP, forcing you to restart the fight. But then you notice there's a revive button, and for some reason, it's telling you there are no revives left.

If you're in this situation, you're not alone. There's a slightly hidden revive ability in this fantasy RPG that the game doesn't talk about and you only notice once you're down. Figuring out how to revive your Rook in Dragon Age: The Veilguard is tougher than it seems, as it requires obtaining certain items first.
How to get Revival Charges in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
The only way to obtain Revival Charges in Dragon Age: The Veilguard is by wearing gear with the Revival Charges stat. There aren't any revival objects you can purchase separately, but instead, you can acquire equipment for your Rook or your companions that have a +1 Revival Charge on it.

Read more