Apocalypse Now
From the famous Ride of the Valkyries scene in Apocalypse Now. American Zoetrope

A crowdfunding campaign has been started to support development of a video game adaptation of Francis Ford Coppola's epic Vietnam War classic Apocalypse Now. The team hoping to make the game describe the project as an "immersive, psychedelic horror RPG".

Erebus LLC, the hopeful developer, needs $900,000 to hit its Kickstarter target and get development of a PC version off the ground. If a stretch goal of $2.5m is hit, PS4 and Xbox One versions will be released. An additional $3m stretch goal will add virtual reality support.

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The team is partnering with director Coppola's film studio American Zoetrope, which currently owns the rights to the film and will part-fund the game. In a statement Coppola said: "Forty years ago, I set out to make a personal art picture that could hopefully influence generations of viewers for years to come.

"Today, I'm joined by new daredevils, a team who want to make an interactive version of Apocalypse Now, where you are Captain Benjamin Willard amidst the harsh backdrop of the Vietnam War. I've been watching video games grow into a meaningful way to tell stories, and I'm excited to explore the possibilities for Apocalypse Now for a new platform and a new generation."

American Zoetrope confirm the game will follow the same plot as the Oscar-winning films, saying "players will take on the role of Captain Willard, on a secret mission to assassinate renegade Colonel Kurtz."

It will however, also deviate in some ways from the original film.

"Throughout the course of the game, players will have the ability to make their own decisions independent of the original narrative. As players navigate the unspeakable horrors of the Vietnam War, their reactions to each situation will result in consequences that will alter their journey as the story unfolds."

An October 2020 release date is planned if the project is funded, with early access for backers coming in 2019 to mark the film's 40th anniversary.

Developer Erebus certainly has expertise when it comes to making RPGS. The team includes developers who have worked on games like Fallout: New Vegas, The Witcher, Neverwinter Nights 2, EverQuest, Pillars of Eternity, DC Universe Online and Star Wars Galaxies.

The project will be directed by Montgomery Markland, who produced crowd-funded games Wasteland 2 and Torment: Tides of Numenera, and written by Rob Auten, who wrote for The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Battlefield: Hardline and Gears of War: Judgment.

The Kickstarter campaign's video doesn't show any prototype footage from the game, focusing instead on the developers' pitch and clips from the Oscar-winning film.

Reward tiers for specific backers start at $50 for a digital copy of the game, 4K wallpapers and digital novels and work their up to $10,000, which includes all of the above as well as an Associate Producer credit, a tour of The Family Coppola Archives, invites to the game's wrap party, a weekly video call with the game's director, an actual prop from the film and much more.

The Kickstarter campaign will end on 23 February and has, at the time of writing, accumulated just over $45,000 in pledges.

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