Shadowrun Returns feels fan support as it approaches release

When supporters start shipping you food, you've probably found yourself in a special community.

When supporters start shipping you food, you've probably found yourself in a special community. That's exactly what's been happening as Shadowrun Returnsdeveloper Harebrained Schemes works to finish its re-imagination of the classic cyberpunk and fantasy RPG, according to a new interview at Playnation.

Shadowrun Returns releases through Steam July 25 and has already seen one delay, even as the developers have worked to make the game as fully-featured as possible, according to executive producer Mitch Gitelman.

"We have been crunching basically for a year, and since November there's been times where we worked an entire month without days off, doing midnight shifts and stuff like that," Gitelman said. "We left home, you know; the ship sailed and we waved to our families. And now I see the port up ahead, and I see my wife waving at me, but the water still choppy. We've got a little ways to go before we get there."

It's clear from the interview that Gitelman feels a personal connection between the game and the Kickstarterbase that emergedto support its development. Trying to satisfy fans of the more than 20-year old Shadowrun game universe as well as bring in new players to their current project has been like a "marathon," Gitelman said.

"What's amazing is, that during all of that, doing all this work and making this game, there's been this passionate group of people, almost 40,000 of them, that has been following us every step of the way, being very encouraging," he said. "We've had people send us pizza, bagels and stuff like that, trying to keep our energy up, and emotionally that's rewarding."

There is also the belief that Shadowrun supporters reside in a "shared universe" with its own community history, according to Gitelman. Shadowrun Returns will ship with a set of Trent Reznor-inspired editing toolsso players can add content to the game.

"We had this giant group believe in the project and believe in us and take a risk on us, and they crowdfunded us. So there's this big sort of shared push to make something happen, and then it's in a shared world, which is even cooler."

For more on Shadowrun Returns, check out some alpha-stage gameplay footage below.