SKARA The Blade Remins

SKARA - The Blade Remains Limited was an independent video game studio with offices in London and Barcelona, established by co-founders Pablo Rodriguez Valero and Cesar Ortega Domene. Rodriguez, with a background in Fine Arts and a decade of experience in videogame development, served as the CEO, while Ortega, an engineer with an MBA from The University of Oxford, acted as CFO. The venture emerged from a desire to merge AAA gaming experience with an independent, community-driven development approach, funded initially by family and friends.

The company's sole project was "Skara: The Blade Remains," a free-to-play, multiplayer online versus (MOV) game. The business model was centered on being "free-to-win," generating revenue through the sale of cosmetic in-game items like skins and armor, ensuring that gameplay advantage could not be purchased. To finance the game's completion, the company launched a Kickstarter campaign, successfully raising over its $35,000 goal. The funds were intended to expand the game's content, including developing five distinct character races and multiple arenas.

"Skara" was built on the Unreal Engine 4 and designed for PC, with plans for future release on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It focused on skill-based, third-person melee combat, distinguishing itself by moving away from traditional character leveling. Instead, player progression was tied to skill and practice, with all players competing on an even footing regardless of time spent or money invested. The game featured various modes, including 1v1 duels and team-based battles for up to 16 players, set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world where players' actions could influence the ongoing narrative. The game entered Steam Early Access in October 2014, allowing players to participate in its development. However, despite its initial promise and community engagement, the game struggled to maintain a player base, was eventually delisted from the Steam store at the publisher's request, and is now considered a defunct project.

Keywords: Skara The Blade Remains, free-to-play, multiplayer online versus, MOV, Unreal Engine 4, melee combat game, indie game studio, Pablo Rodriguez Valero, Cesar Ortega Domene, Steam Early Access, Kickstarter video game, arena fighter, player-driven development, fantasy combat, third-person action, defunct game, delisted Steam game, competitive multiplayer, skill-based combat, 8-bit Studio