Leadwerks' successful Kickstarter campaign will bring game development to Linux

Development company Leadwerks had started a Kickstarter campaign some time ago that aimed to improve game development environments on computers running on Linux. The company’s initial aim of $20,000 has been far surpassed, with 787 backers having funded the project for a total of $42,358.

Leadwerks is a 3D game engine that has support on multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. It has been quite popular with indie studios because of its relatively low cost—$200 for the base license—and how it handles native code. The biggest obstacle in the company’s way so far has been the lack of support that is otherwise enjoyed by more popular engines such as Unity, Unreal and Havok’s Project Anarchy.

Hoodwink—a game developed on Leadwerks

Because the campaign has gotten so much money, Leadwerks aims to add some extra goodies to its engine, including integration with 3D modelling software Blender, integration of 64-bit Windows and Mac libraries and support for Android and Ouya.

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The game engine is set to be available for Linux some time towards the end of the year. There hasn’t been any specific launch window, however.

Linux, while infamous for its complexity that otherwise appeals to programmers, has had a rather stagnant development environment when it comes to games. Game developers that work on Linux often have to switch to Windows just to code. Hopefully, the success of Leadworks can change that. It will also help in bringing more games to Linux. Right now, gaming on Linux isn’t at its best, with the odd Humble Bundle and some games from digital distribution platform Steam.