Kickstarting without kicking at all...

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Lounge' started by HTWGames, May 9, 2012.

  1. HTWGames

    HTWGames Well-Known Member

    Oct 10, 2011
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    Game Developer
    Toronto/Vancouver
    Hey everyone!

    I'll cut to the chase to keep this as brief as possible. Hope This Works Games, has released a single iOS title by the name Kunundrum. It's done all right, has high review rankings, and has been received well. However it's not funding us enough for the next title that we have in the works.

    Our production on the next title is close to being completed and quite honestly I think the game is something special. The problem is the production is starting to really gouge at us and we may sink without the proper funding.

    We would do crowd sourcing, however the production costs and organization of those endeavours are costly, take a lot of hours(which we don't have to spare sadly: 3 person team, one still working full time), and don't really allow an iOS dev to fully let their audience realize the game due to Apple restricting codes to 50 per update. In donating we would just want people to have the game. A crappy t-shirt or some digital sketch-ups don't really replace the payoff of donating, or pre-paying, for a title.

    So I'm curious... the original kick-starter really is if people just buy your other titles. Would it be foolish to make a video that introduced the company, the title that we've made, and then images/video of the title we're working on and just simply ask for donations by buying our game.

    3 bucks and you get a game with a butt-load of puzzles, we get 2 of those dollars, we can continue to make this other super nifty title that I really do think will be pretty special.

    But the production is getting costly in order to get it fully realized. A composer just came back with a re-quote that more than doubled what he was asking before. The cut-scenes and whatnot are starting to stretch into the GOOD GOD part of the budget and have only just started haha

    Also life is beating the team down and unknown debt kinda took one of the fund fountains out of the picture and is placing quite a bit of stress on the other partners.

    I'm not trying to pander or whine here, just stating what's going on. So I'm curious... Would you be more inclined to buy a game to help out a dev rather than getting a t-shirt/poster/whatever ancillary crap that is offered on Kickstarter.

    Would it make sense to help fund a great game by buying a pretty damn good game?
     
  2. mr.Ugly

    mr.Ugly Well-Known Member

    Dec 1, 2009
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    Berlin, Germany
    well if the next project is kunundrum 2 i suppose people could do that..

    but then , not really.. people pledge because they like the project, not because there is a t-shirt or a poster as a bonus next to the game..

    people choose the pledge they like and if most of them is junk they usually stick to the lowest one that gets them the game.. as some sort of preorder..

    why should they buy a puzzle game they where not interested in the first place?
     
  3. LBG

    LBG SeƱor Member

    Apr 19, 2009
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    nada ilegal
    31.560499, -111.904128
  4. HTWGames

    HTWGames Well-Known Member

    Oct 10, 2011
    271
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    16
    Game Developer
    Toronto/Vancouver
    Wasn't suggesting they need to buy a puzzle game in order to donate, but in essence isn't that what they would be doing anyway?

    The video would be along the lines of 'here's something we're working on...if you would like it, you could donate by buying one of our other games to fund this one'. You get a game out of it, we can continue making the game we're showing in the video, it's win/win.

    Basically I'm just trying to figure out a better way to handle the pitch because of the limitations that Apple places on devs to be able to distribute their software...mainly because they wouldn't get a cut of what's being sold. I understand that, but getting this to work for every person pledging would be a nightmare in logistics.

    If Red Dead Redemption 2 was in need of funding and the company said hey, if you buy Puzzle Fighter HD(just for arguments sake) it will help fund RDR2, would that be an acceptable proposition?

    If it's not about the swag, then it's just flat out support. This route, you'd get a game, whether or not you like it, with the knowledge that you would be supporting the game you're interested in.

    Or is that principle soured with the idea that even though it all goes into the same place, it still means someone isn't getting what they want?
     
  5. the9quad

    the9quad Well-Known Member

    Apr 27, 2011
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    I think the difference is, if the kick starter doesn't make it's goal, you get your money back. Whereas in this case you don't. On the other hand what's a couple of dollars? I think you should try it, what do you have to lose? Good luck
     
  6. AppleFan12

    AppleFan12 Well-Known Member

    Apr 25, 2012
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    USA
    Hmmm, I seem to recall more replies to this thread...:confused:
     

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