Gunpoint developer, PC Gamer section editor and PR mastermind Tom Francis filled the long weekend with the most professionally executed marketing campaign ever seen. On Saturday we got the 2D stealth/hacking puzzler's release date's release date's release date, pointing to the next day's release date's release date, which in turn led to yesterday's announcement of the release date. It was like the world's simplest ARG, in which the primary means of progression was calling Tom Francis a bad man .
But now we finally have an actual, proper release date of June 3rd, along with a generous demo to give you a chance to leap, pounce and rewire your way through some of the game's levels.
Pre-orders are available through Steam and the Gunpoint website , and come in a variety of editions. In addition to the base game, there's a Special Edition, which comes with soundtrack and sprite-based developer commentary. Or there's an extra-special Exclusive Edition, which gives you access to prototype builds, a making of video, exclusive music and beta access to future games. All versions are discounted until the week after release.
Writing about the reasons for the bonus editions, Tom says:
"I've been working on Gunpoint for three years, and it could be a turning point in my life. If it does well enough, I will quit my job to become a full time game developer. I could make more games like this, hopefully better and more quickly. This would be amazing.
"Gunpoint is not really a mass-market thing, but I've noticed that it just clicks with some people. If those people are happy to support it in exchange for a few extras, Gunpoint could succeed because of passionate players, rather than just a very large number of players. This would be amazing."
So yes, go and give Tom lots of money so he can quit his job and- hey, wait a minute!
