Valiant Entertainment has announced its first Kickstarter tabletop game this week with Valiant: FIGHT for DEADSIDE. Valiant, though not as recognizable as Marvel and DC Comics, also immerses readers in science fiction realms with heroes and villains galore. Valiant's fight to reach the recognition of its more prominent competitors continues with each new release. This new attempt sees the comics company entering the tabletop space alongside Dungeons & Dragons, whose Wild Beyond the Witchlight book launches on the 21st.
In recent years, Valiant has teased upcoming films and games with its roster of comic book characters. Vin Diesel was cast for Bloodshot, the former marine turned biotech-enhanced superhero, in a film which released last year. Valiant was and still is trying its best to compete with both DC and Marvel, but the unfortunate timing of its first theater release coincided with the throws of the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, Valiant is taking its work in another direction. The company announced Thursday that it is launching a Kickstarter campaign for its very own tabletop game. Valiant: FIGHT for DEADSIDE is planned to be a 1-4 player co-op game, with designers Sen-Foong Lim from The Shining: Escape From The Overlook Hotel and Legend of Korra: Pro-Bending Arena, and Jon Cohn from Ghostbusters: Blackout and Munchkin: TMNT. Fan-favorite characters from the Valiant universe will be featured, including Shadowman, Ninjak, Punk Mambo, Dr. Mirage, and more. Players will take on the roles of their favorite heroes to stop Master Darque's army from invading. It remains to be seen how much influence Valiant will take the best tabletop roleplaying games, as the genre is a very rich and well-populated one.
Additionally, the company has said that the kickstarter's first 500 subscribers will gain free access to an exclusive, one day offer after the campaign foes live, giving those fans an initial look at the content for the story of the game. The link to signup for the campaign was provided for fans, and will alert subscribers to the official launch of the campaign. Similarly, Goblin Slayer's tabletop roleplaying game will be coming in 2022, so the two are set to be quick competitors once Valiant's campaign goes live.
Unfortunately, Valiant's timing with Bloodshot left its cinematic universe hurting right out the gate, as the movie didn't perform as hoped. If Valiant's tabletop game can bring in new fans and reunite those already interested in the property, then perhaps someday it could stand a chance against Marvel and DC Comics. Until then, Valiant has its plate full, as other beloved franchises are entering the tabletop realm alongside it, such as Microsoft's energetic cartoon action platformer in Cuphead: Fast Rolling Dice.
Source: Valiant Entertainment, Valiant Entertainment/Kickstarter