I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll never be on the fame end of the show stick, casting eyes down at the main character in the front row versus being the one casting eyes up. And, that’s okay. I’m fine with it. Much like how Guitar Hero and Rockband did for us back in the day (and by “us,” I mean people who actually know what games I’m talking about), a new Kickstarter-funded simulator will take you back to those times when your living room was the only stage you needed.
Lord Of Metal is a metal festival-themed video game, brought to us by Swedish power metal band Sabaton‘s bassist Pär Sundström and his game development studio Horns Up Games. In it, you’re basically building a festival from start to finish. Meaning you’ll start with at the bottom as an entry level booker and work your way up to putting on those huge as fuck festivals, playing performances along the way. The developers call this “Single Player Story Driven Heavy Music Festival Management Simulator.” What a mouthful but a cool premise nonetheless. Sundström had this to say about the new project:
“For the past 25 years my life has revolved around the music industry: playing live shows, managing a band, performing at and organizing festivals. I wanted to make an exciting single-player game that I myself wanted to play. Not some mobile game with tons of in-app purchases and no gimmicks… So join us on this adventure and support us on Kickstarter.
“As avid gamers with decades of experience, we appreciate it when we know exactly what we’re getting. That’s why from the very start we’ve decided that we’re going to deliver the game as a single-player ‘box’ product. No in-game purchases, no game-as-a-service mechanics and tricks. In Lord Of Metal, you get a glimpse of what’s going on ‘under the hood’ of festivals, and find out what’s happening backstage, on- and off-site of the festival grounds.”
The new title will hopefully be coming to Steam in 2027, with releases on consoles to come soon after. Donate to the Kickstarter here. I’ve got to play this game.