Oregon City-based video game studio SuperGenius is helping launch a Kickstarter campaign to finish Forge, a massive multiplayer PC video game that aims to compete with big-name titles such as World of Warcraft and Diablo 3.

Forge, co-developed by SuperGenius, San Diego developer Dark Vale Games and New Zealand programming house Digit Confectioners, is the downtown Oregon City game studio’s biggest game title to date. The company employs more than 40 local creative professionals on the project.

When the Kickstarter campaign reaches its initial goal of $300,000, it will not only help the studio put the final touches on the game but will open a world of opportunity and expansion for the creative media studio, securing long-term contracts and employing a larger staff of local creative professionals.

“Success on Kickstarter, in our case, means proof of commercial viability for this video game,” said Paul Culp, SuperGenius chief executive officer. “This means investment in the product and the teams that are developing it. In short, a lot of creative sector local jobs will be created.”

The video game Forge plays like a third-person shooter, but with the abilities, strategy and pace of MMO PvP combat. It is built with a focus on fun and accessibility, but with the attention to detail and balance of a deep, competitive game. Whether a player is new to first-person shooters and MMOs, or is a veteran, Forge will be easy to pick up, and yet it offers much to learn as a player explores the game. Forge takes place in an epic fantasy setting brought to life by SuperGenius. Players take on the role of a warrior from a culture unlike any seen before. The game’s plot line centers on the character’s journey home.

“This is more like a kick-finish than a kick start,” said Culp. “Funding will support the final stages of game development.”

Forge is trying to be a community-oriented game using an increasingly common “democratic development” concept for game creation where users influence how the game is created. Kickstarter is one way to vote the game into existence using dollars and cents, Culp said.