Beta testing begins for Ares Digital 3.0. Image/Paul Wilson–Flickr

FEBRUARY 12, 2019 | 2 MIN READ

Ares Digital 3.0 Gets a Launch Timeline

Peters Predicts the Software Platform to Launch by end of February

We’ve finally gotten a timeline for launch of the software platform without which you’ll never see Axanar, the two short film fans have been waiting years for.

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Doing Double Duty

As we reported two days ago, the new version of Ares Digital entered beta, a shakedown cruise of sorts for the system Axanar will depend upon to both deliver perks to long-waiting donors and to facilitate the financial transactions for the $250,000 in donations Axanar will need to be delivered.

Beta Test

An “overwhelming response from fans” to help test the system led producer Alec Peters to tell supporters yesterday he expects a formal launch before the end of February.

Why it Matters

Producing Axanar will cost a quarter-million dollars it doesn’t have. To raise it, Peters needs technology to handle communication about and collection of donations. But he needs to deliver patches past donors have been waiting years for before he can ask them for more money.

Murky Future

Delivering those perks requires collecting up-to-date shipping information, which is what the troubled Ares Digital was built to do. Until Peters gets past this first milestone, Axanar’s future remains murky.