7 replies to this topic

[Strum la Frantique]

Further proof that money makes you bad shit crazy, Notch owner/creator of yet another gaming giant I don't understand, Minecraft, has offered to fund the sequel to best game ever nobody played, Psychonauts. On the back of that offer, Steven Dengler of Dracogen Strategic Investments (who funded the Mac port last year), threw his hat in the ring also with a "I'm in". Apparently a tweet to a news story by gaming site RockPaperScissors, alerted Notch to the needed funding, stating that if it all happens, they can take credit.

This comes at a time when on the backs of commerical failures Psychonauts and Brutal Legend (great premise, terrible game), developer Double Fine was forced into developing smaller downloadable titles because they couldn't secure publisher funding for a major release (except the Kinect Sesame Street game).

This is different from the usual rich random fan offering to fund a sequel development, because Tim Schafer has always stated he wants to make a sequel, they just can't get funding for one. The first was released by Majesco and received no marketing, essentially selling on the back of "made by the guy who did all the funny LucasArts adventure games". Heavy discounting and being available on every downloadable platform imaginable has increased awareness of the game substantially, the publicity that comes from this fan funding could make a sequel a possible hit...

Having multi-millionaire fans of your games can come in handy. Which really shines a light on the recent fan funding fad. Kickstarter and IndieGoGo are going gangbusters. But already it's obvious that a donation scheme is archaic...and honestly a rip off for all those involved. I expect the next step to be investment opportunities to publish and fund movies and games. You don't donate for a shitty gift or video, or name in the credits. You invest and get a fair share of the profits based on your contribution. It's heading that way people.

[Smacktalks]

It's an interesting point, especially with more and more projects being funded by fans and it's only gonna be a good thing knowing that the people financially backing a game are fans of it, especially if they are given the opportunity to give their input on the game.

As for getting a fair share of the profits, it's a fair point when you've got rich people contributing large amounts to the project and i'm sure there's a lot of companies that would welcome that kind of investment, as they would only be able to make so much from everyday fans contributions in return for advanced copies, credits, etc.

I actually contributed to Jaret Reddick from Bowling for Soup's Kickstarter last week in return for a personalised video response, album credit, etc.

[Strum la Frantique]

Take the AVGN movie for example, on IndieGoGo it raised $325,927. At that number James Rolfe has said it's close to being 100% fan funded. It will atleast make it's money back due to the large cult audience. The mainstream appeal of the movie is very limited, but say hypothetically it makes over a million dollars, it's very possible. Why are the donators that nearly 100% funded this movie, getting a share in the profits like a Hollywood movie investor would?

Like your music example, music labels are fucked, this has been known for a long time. So artists are turning to fans to fund albums. What if the fan funded album turns out to be the next Rolling Stones, or Beatles, or goes mega popular. Why aren't donators getting a share of profits and radio royalties? As more music and films go down this route (and they are and will continue to), the fan compensation model will have to evolve, otherwise the fad will die out and people will realise they are donating $50 for a shitty signed autograph that costs $1.

[Smacktalks]

It's a very viable option, but it's something that I dont see happening for a long time for a mass audiance of regular fans. If / when it does happen tho i'd definitley be interested in helping fund a project for a future cash return, especially if it was something that I was passionate about.

For music artists I think the current Kickstarter route of giving in return for backing is something that will happen more and more in the future, as it offers an incentive for fans to actually "buy" an album instead of downloading it online for free.

It'll all come down to what the artists offer in return tho at the end of the day. I can see a lot of more well known artists using it and offering nothing more than an early release to backers, or something similar that doesnt require much effort. The good stuff will come with the lesser known artists who offer more personalised rewards to tempt people into funding them.

[Strum la Frantique]

Double Fine has started a seperate Kickstarter campaign for an untitled PC point and click adventure. The goal is $400,000, they're at $266,000 in about 4 hours. For $15 bucks you get the game, beta access, and a making of documentary released as the game is made. That's a fair deal. The game will cost $15 at release anyway.

EDIT: In five minutes it's jumped to 280,000....it's going up 100,000 nearly every hour.

EDIT AGAIN: $350,00....

[Smacktalks]

It's now surpassed the goal at $453,245!

It's a perfect example of how to go about it, especially when it's a title that is available digitally via Steam as there's no added cost to put together the physical media and ship. Plus, $15 for a game, beta access, etc. is a bargain price that is bound to entice a ton of gamers in.

I hope this example encourages other companies or even small independant developers to try it out.

[salizzle]

The game better be good, I mean broken sword good.

[Strum la Frantique]

When compared to Schafer's old games like Grim Fandango, Full Throttle and Day of the Tentacle, Broken Sword pales in comparison.

On the same note, Tim Schafer has announced the funding has now suprassed the DOTT budget and approaching the Full Throttle budget of 1.5 million. He didn't take inflation into account though, so the budgets are still way off.