Kickstarters

Watashiwa

Administrator
Staff member
#1
So, who's heard of Kickstarter? They're a kind of internet crowdfunding site. People who have ideas but no money ask people on the internet to donate, perhaps offering rewards if the project goes through. It's a neat idea, but it's all changed recently.

Because recently, Tim Schafer raised <a href='http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/66710809/double-fine-adventure' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>3 million dollars to make a classic adventure game.</a> Schafer is a supergenius and one of the people who made Lucasarts so great, and now heads Double Fine, maker of such gems as Psychonauts and Brutal Legend.

And he raised three million dollars to make an old school adventure game. This has opened the floodgates.

<a href='http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/wasteland-2' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Brian Fargo, creator of Fallout, is now running a Kickstarter to fund a sequel to Wasteland, the original post-apocalyptic RPG</a>. It's now sitting pretty at almost $2 million. At $2.1 million, they bring in Obsidian studios to help with the writing (note that most of the original Black Isle team will thus be involved), and at three million they're going to release a tool kit with the game.

Fargo has also started a side project called "Kicking it Forward", a pledge that Kickstarter groups can put sign to donate 5% of their profits (not donations, profits after product release) back to Kickstarter projects. This is a great idea, and people are signing up at a good pace.

And now Shadowrun, the cyberpunk with magic RPG is getting a resurrection from its original creator as <a href='http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1613260297/shadowrun-returns' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Shadowrun Returns, a 2D RPG much like Wasteland 2 above</a>. I'm a huge Shadowrun enthusiast, though it's something I never got to play since none of my friends growing up played PnP games. The project is halfway funded in one day, a good sign going forward.

And there's almost certainly more to come. Obsidian has expressed interest, smaller developers are looking at this seriously and the sky's the limit.
 

Ordo

Well-Known Member
#2
I hope it works out. Major publishers want a guaranteed return on investment so they're unwilling to take a lot of risk and tend to be more draconian than would be wise. Capcom deciding to release the ending to Asura as DLC, an locking off a bunch of characters in their fighting game being to rather disturbing examples of this trend. So, here's a chance to get the games peopl want. Perhaps it will lead to a shift in how games are made.

Though I'll be happy just to get some good games out of it.
 

Ordo

Well-Known Member
#4
Banner Saga, Wastland 2 and Shadowrun.
 

LightningHunter

Well-Known Member
#5
Awesome, Wasteland 2 is nearly at the $2.1 mil mark to get Obsidian helping, which means Chris "The Motherfucker" Avellone will be particularly involved.
 

Antimatter

Well-Known Member
#7
<a href='http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1613260297/shadowrun-returns' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Shadowrun Returns</a> has been successfully funded, including MAC support now that it's over 425k.

Achieved this in 28 hours, not too shabby.

I'm currently funding four titles: Doublefine adventure, Shadowrun, Wasteland 2, and Auditorium: Duet. Not sure about Leisure Suit Larry remake, never been a huge fan of the franchise, but will keep my eye on it.
 

Vexarian

Well-Known Member
#8
I've just funded Wasteland 2 for 50 dollars and Banner Saga for 25. I'm pretty sure that I funded Double Fine too but it was absolutely ages ago and I have no idea how much I gave them.
 

Watashiwa

Administrator
Staff member
#9
<a href='http://wasteland.inxile-entertainment.com/' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Wasteland 2's website has a countdown timer;</a> also, there's a new contribution tier, the international all-digital package.

Also, to celebrate the return of so many classic games I now have a new signature:



That doubles as a link to the kickstarter homepage.
 

Ordo

Well-Known Member
#10
So if this Shadowrun thing works out, should we try and use the tool set to create our own campaign? You now a series of runs that could either conform to strict cannon, or could include crazy awesome crossovers?
 
#11
Watashiwa said:
It's like they're putting Black Isle back together!
Just checked- and yep, they've pulled it off, they're past the $2.1 mil milestone. Wasteland 2 will now have Chris Avellone working on it.

:hail: :hail: :hail:
 

Meinos Kaen

Well-Known Member
#12
Ladies and gentlemen. I hereby name 2012 as the year when shit got real. Thanks to Kickstarter, a simple idea like fundraising made website, we are now entering a new era in videogames and soon, I believe, creative arts development.

Thanks to Kickstarter, we gamers now have real power of choice. The only choice we had before this was what games to buy. Now, we have the power to choose which games are to be born at all. It's become sort of a trend in recent years for software houses to put their money where they're sure to have a huge comeback ever since gaming became trendy, sometimes ignoring genres or just getting lazy in their results, living on ancestral fan-bases that ultimately had to face the truth as well (coughSquaresoftcough).

Now, though, we have power. From this year onward, ss long as there's talent, an idea and people willing to work on it, there will be the possibility now for us to support them, to make them stand and deliver what both gamers and developers want.

Remember, remember, 2012. Screw the Mayans and any other doomsday prophecy. I will survive, keep on living and playing, for from now on, we have power.

So help me god.

Meinos Kaen
 

Meinos Kaen

Well-Known Member
#15
Ladies and gentlemen, here's the JPEG version of what I like to call... The Kickstarter Manifest.

 

Meinos Kaen

Well-Known Member
#17
Watashiwa said:
That is amazing.? Well done.

Now spread it everywhere.

EDIT: Should it be manifesto?? :unsure:
In Italian and Spanish, yeah. But English is the language of Internet. :D Also, I've already posted it on my blog and my deviantart and my Facebook. I need your help as well, my friends. :)

Edit: The quickest way is Twitter and Facebook. Just offer the link to the deviantart version, which is the following: <a href='http://meinoskaen.deviantart.com/art/The-Kickstarter-Manifest-295232805' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://meinoskaen.deviantart.com/art/The-K...ifest-295232805</a>
 

Antimatter

Well-Known Member
#19
Shadowruns latest update mentions they will add linux support if they hit their next funding goal, as they will be able to pay for the needed tools from their engine provider.

Already seeing something of a surge from the linux community for it now. Hopefully we break a million in no time.
 

LORD_ARM

Well-Known Member
#20
Here are two Kickstarters boardgames and one video game that looks good.

As of 4/13
<a href='http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/847271320/ogre-designers-edition?ref=category' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Ogre by Steve Jackson Games</a> 27 days to go.







<a href='http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/greenbriergames/zpocalypse-an-epic-zombie-survival-board-game?ref=category' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Zpocalypse: An Epic Zombie Survival Board Game</a> 8 days to go.






<a href='http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stoic/the-banner-saga?ref=category' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>The Banner Saga</a> 6 days to go.



 
#21
Wasteland 2's funding will be finished in under 24 hours and has currently raised over $2.7 mil.
 

Antimatter

Well-Known Member
#22
LightningHunter said:
Wasteland 2's funding will be finished in under 24 hours and has currently raised over $2.7 mil.
Yep. Last day to get in on it, or alter your pledges. I'm in for $30 on that one, and I have a co-worker with the $250 tier. Apparently, he's a huge fan, and pledge that day one.
 

SimmyC

Well-Known Member
#23
Kickstarter Project highlight and my rant at the end. :lol:

Well, fans of adventure games, it seems Tim Schafer let out of the floodgates... of Kickstarter Adventure Game attempts.

The one I'm looking forward to the most and hope it gets there...
<a href='http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/leisuresuitlarry/make-leisure-suit-larry-come-again' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/leisur...arry-come-again</a>

I loved the Leisure Suit Larry games back in the day (and given that the last true LSL game was out at 1996 (though I didn't play it till much latter) I'm dating myself. :unsure: *Note, I'm not counting the last two LSL games that wasn't really LSL games and just plain sucked. But yes, I loved Sierra games in general so the return Leisure Suit Larry (even if it is a remake at first) is something I'm looking forward to.

At 70% and 15 days left, obviously they're not pulling in Double Fine numbers, but they have plenty of time to get to $500,000.

Yes, I'm aware they're only making remakes now. But as they said in the pitch videos, the hope is to make the remakes, they succeed, and in the end a new game. I also read that they were also trying to get the rights to the other Sierra adventure games like Police Quest, Kings Quest, and Space Quest. So if they succeed, we could 'possibly' see the revival of other old Sierra adventure games.

Heck, speaking of Space Quest, the two guys from Andromeda are back working together. While not a Space Quest game (the rights are owned by Activision), they are working on a Space Adventure game. So a spiritual successor if anything.

And another Sierra Alumni has her own Kickstarter. Jane Jensen of Gabriel Knights fame started her own developer company and plans even more adventure games. <a href='http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1005365109/jane-jensens-pinkerton-road-2012-2013-csg?ref=live' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/100536...13-csg?ref=live</a> Her Kickstarter isn't as ambitious as LSL one. Nor is it even pulling in the numbers for it either. Though at least it's over 50%, and she has more days to collect the pledges.

With all that said... now to go into ranting mode. :p My take on the Kickstarter phenomenon.

I think it's great. A great way to get around THE MAN. To show those suits that yes, there is a market out there, and those people are willing to get it through their pledges. After all, the LSL people were lucky that Codemaster owns the rights of LSL and not Activision like every other Sierra franchise. Because according to Replay Games, Activision wanted $500,000 upfront JUST for the use of the rights. That's not counting the cost to make and later market the game. And while there is a market for adventure games, proven by Tim Schafer's own Kickstarter, we're not going to see Call of Duty numbers to make that investment worth while.

The issue with Kickstarter is, what guarantees that a funded project will see the light of day in the end? Answer... there are none. This is true even in an EA/Activision/SquareEnix project. Indy projects run into the same issues. Development taking longer than it should, creativity issues, the budget they had was overly optimistic, etc. And not just video games, the documentaries, the indy movies, books, board games, they all face this issue.

Heck, I mentioned how the LSL people 'want' to try and revive the other Sierra games. Well, funded or not, there is no guarantees we'll see anything beyond LSL remakes. If the LSL remakes fail to say, kiss LSL 8 goodbye. Again, Activision owns the rights to everything except LSL which was sold before Vivandi merged with Activision. If they can't get the rights, oh well. But some people that are supporting the Kickstarter might have thought they would get it expecting a new Police Quest game in the making. Or even, as mentioned before, LSL 8 down the line. Rightly or wrongly, they'd feel burned if this doesn't happen.

The other issue is, does said person that use Kickstarter to get their project going really need that money? One controversy that arose in the Jane Jensen Kickstarter is that some people took her words in her pitch that she can make a game without Kickstarter. Which is probably why (that and it's going on at the same time as LSL and Wasteland 2 Kickstarter efforts) she isn't pulling the same support as the others. So why does she need Kickstarter then? I'll let her words speak for herself.
A 3rd person adventure game like the one we're planning would normally cost at least twice that.á But we are putting in some funding as well, and the team is taking less up front in exchange for rev share. So this project already has committed believers behind it. The last piece we need is you!
We needed help managing our CSG members. Can you imagine sending builds to 10,000+ different emails?á Kickstarter manages all that for us, so we can easily run a campaign drive and post updates as often as we like.

Since we made that decision, a lot of kickstarter campaigns for other games have launched.á We considered waiting, but in all honesty, we don't think the tide of Kickstarter projects is going to abate anytime soon.á

It's like this û publishers have been the bouncer at the club door for a long time, deciding who got let in and who did not.á Now, with crowd-funding, itÆs as if someone's opened a back door.á ItÆs no surprise that thereÆs a rush of people who want to go through it.á Support the projects you want to see happen and wish the rest good luck.á And letÆs thank our lucky stars thereÆs a new way to get games financed and broaden the spectrum of what this industry creates!
Can she raise the money elsewhere? Probably. She is working on another game not through her studio. And unlike LSL, which people see as softcore porn (when it's not compare it to what's out there on the Internet) her projects don't have that same stigma. Still, I feel she has a good reason for having a kickstarter.

For a lot of others, I'm not sure I can say the same. One adventure game that was funded, was funded back 2 years ago with no updates till very very recently. How do you feel the backers of that project feel now? There is always that fear that the people behind any given project isn't who they say they are, and are take the cash and run.

Note, I have full faith in the people, the ones I mentioned above, Tim Schafer, Shadowrun, the Wasteland 2, etc. of all happening. Not only do these people put their careers at stake with these kickstarters, but also their reputation as well. No way they can't deliver on their promises and expect to face their fans (and note, Replay games never promised Police Quest or even LSL8 if the remakes fail to sell, they just promised the remakes). Heck, they would probably face legal issues if they fail to deliver on the goods. It's the people with less of a track record, and less on the line where it becomes an issue.

[edit]Oh, and one thing I forgot to mention. It does feel like the Kickstarter bandwagon is getting a bit much. Double Fine, Wasteland 2, Shadowrun, Takedown, LSL, and Jane Jensen now. But recently we have Police Warefare, next month Tex Murphy, and some people think the Space Quest guys will go Kickstarter as well. Unless we get a big influx of new pledgers and not just cannibalized the existing members, I don't see all of them succeeding.

tl;dr I love the idea of Kickstarters. Another way to get around the publishers and get the games (or documentary movies, board games, etc.) we want. But it's not perfect. And always be wary of who you support. And with so many projects right now, some people might be strapped for cash supporting all these projects.
 

Vexarian

Well-Known Member
#24
SimmyC said:
[edit]Oh, and one thing I forgot to mention. It does feel like the Kickstarter bandwagon is getting a bit much. Double Fine, Wasteland 2, Shadowrun, Takedown, LSL, and Jane Jensen now. But recently we have Police Warefare, next month Tex Murphy, and some people think the Space Quest guys will go Kickstarter as well. Unless we get a big influx of new pledgers and not just cannibalized the existing members, I don't see all of them succeeding.

tl;dr I love the idea of Kickstarters. Another way to get around the publishers and get the games (or documentary movies, board games, etc.) we want. But it's not perfect. And always be wary of who you support. And with so many projects right now, some people might be strapped for cash supporting all these projects.
They really should have the sense to stagger themselves more.
 
#25
Vexarian said:
SimmyC said:
[edit]Oh, and one thing I forgot to mention. It does feel like the Kickstarter bandwagon is getting a bit much. Double Fine, Wasteland 2, Shadowrun, Takedown, LSL, and Jane Jensen now. But recently we have Police Warefare, next month Tex Murphy, and some people think the Space Quest guys will go Kickstarter as well. Unless we get a big influx of new pledgers and not just cannibalized the existing members, I don't see all of them succeeding.

tl;dr I love the idea of Kickstarters. Another way to get around the publishers and get the games (or documentary movies, board games, etc.) we want. But it's not perfect. And always be wary of who you support. And with so many projects right now, some people might be strapped for cash supporting all these projects.
They really should have the sense to stagger themselves more.
Perhaps, but I image some developers were getting desperate for funding to follow their own ideas instead of "Generic Game X" schemes demanded by big producers for guaranteed returns.

Seeing Schafer succeed so dramatically in getting his funding by Kickstarter must have seemed like manna from the Heavens for them.

Should they have staggered their projects? Probably.

Did they want to after years of begging for funds? Probably not.
 
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