New Crowdfunding Platform "Games Plant"

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by mr.Ugly, Jul 1, 2011.

  1. mr.Ugly

    mr.Ugly Well-Known Member

    Dec 1, 2009
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    Stumbled over this on the net

    http://www.games-plant.com/

    - its only games related (all platforms)
    - it has a minimum project size of 3k
    - its an all or nothing concept (like Kickstarters)
    - it allows for revenue share on the finished projects income!


    especially the last point is very interesting imho, because you can get something back (not a swag) for your money funding a project..
    so you rather invest into projects (if they offer revenue share which is optional)
    than just handing out your money..

    this is a interesting twist and something i found lacking in all the other platforms.. you just gave money away without any possible benefit (except of silly swags of course)

    very interesting to see how the platform evolves and what kind of projects we will see on there.. and if any will get completely funded..
     
  2. MrLeQuack

    MrLeQuack Well-Known Member

    I've been searching for something like this!Thanks a lot!
     
  3. Aruki

    Aruki Active Member

    May 10, 2011
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    Thx for sharing!!!:)
     
  4. olive

    olive Well-Known Member

    Jul 1, 2011
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    interesting idea~good news to the developers~!
     
  5. smuttlegiaco

    smuttlegiaco Well-Known Member

    Aug 19, 2010
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    looks good indeed. I'll keep my eye on this one, too.

    thanks for sharing!
     
  6. BravadoWaffle

    BravadoWaffle Well-Known Member

    Sep 25, 2010
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    well would ya look at that...
     
  7. NikosX

    NikosX Well-Known Member

    Oct 17, 2010
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    It looks promising if big spenders get in there. What is bad though is the 15% they get from the total budget. I mean a good game probably can cost around 100.000, giving 15% is quite large!
     
  8. racingspider

    racingspider Well-Known Member

    Ah, the revenue sharing is a pretty good idea. Coming up with ideas for rewards (and the cost of such things) can kill a project. I like this one, I'll keep an eye on it too.
     
  9. BravadoWaffle

    BravadoWaffle Well-Known Member

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    Here's my one gripe with revenue sharing on a crowd funding platform. This is after giving the idea much thought: the only reason I'd ever want to share revenue is if the people I'm sharing it with provided more than just cash.

    To succeed in this business it requires more than just money. When getting funding from an Angel investor, you want more than their $$$ you want their help, experience, and access to their network to advertise and market your game. Money will only get you so far, you also need other tools to succeed. Since they have a vested interest in your success, they will do all they can to help you and put all the necessary tools at your disposal.

    That's why I see a definite benefit in going with an experienced publisher who is willing to not only invest in your project, but work with you and help promote you. However, as many experiences have made clear, finding such a publisher can be a tricky process...
     
  10. mr.Ugly

    mr.Ugly Well-Known Member

    Dec 1, 2009
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    Well there are alot of team out there who don't want to work under a publisher.. their creative freedom is more worth to them that "wannabe" interested publisher with their own odd ideas on how to improve a product..

    i have yet to work with a decent publisher who does care equaly about the products quality and the products win margin.. i worked with 8 different publishers and there is not much good to say about any of them.. big or small..
    none of the "big ones" really care about the soul of your product like for example small indie pubs like crescent moon..

    as for revenue share.. well.. kickstarters is gifting money away.. which in my book is as good as throwing it away.. if there is revenue share its investing of your money with the (odd) possibility to get some money back..

    and why do they need to provide you more than cash? cash is the most flexible commodity you can get.. you can hire an pro consultant with the money or do whatever you need to get your project running.. i mean hey they are giving you money.. and all the other platforms offer you some silly gimicks in return.. not my cup of tea.. i don't need to buy an t-shirt from developer x for a huge premium..

    of course revenue share is something you need to consider wisely since it will involve some managing and in the current case management for 3 years.
     
  11. BravadoWaffle

    BravadoWaffle Well-Known Member

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    Yea, I was thinking that publishers like Crescent Moon, and even Liv Games and their interest in investing in "games that they believed in" would be a nice option to consider. They seem to be building a nice brand for themselves, and right now if you hear that so-and-so is working with Crescent Moon for a game, you are like "wow, must be good!" Hopefully we see more small publishers like that!

    I can see the rev sharing model being an attractive option if the platform starts to attract some big budget investors. I do see the potential value of some who are looking to make an investment instead of gifting away the money.

    It goes a bit against my grain though since my philosophy in life is to keep things as simple and streamlined as possible, so having to pay out a dozen or so small investors every month in addition to my current team would get exhausting pretty fast.

    But I'll be keeping an eye on this to see how it develops! It's got potential, especially with how much money is getting thrown around these days in the social gaming market!
     
  12. Pamx

    Pamx Well-Known Member

    Oct 9, 2009
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    I have to agree with Mr Ugly. And to take it further, I don't understand why any serious developer would expect anyone to give them money to make a game in exchange for anything less than a share (fixed or percentage) of the proceeds; it's unrealistic & disingenuous.
     
  13. BravadoWaffle

    BravadoWaffle Well-Known Member

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    #13 BravadoWaffle, Jul 1, 2011
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2011
    Perhaps, however the facts show a completely different story altogether. So even though it may seem unrealistic and disingenuous on paper, it does work in practice! :)

    Not knocking the rev share model in the least, I am curious to see how well it actually turns out, and certainly will consider using it if it proves to be a legitimate way to raise some serious dough.
     
  14. yemi

    yemi Well-Known Member

    Feb 3, 2011
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    Iam sorry I guess some developers are going to hate me now. You expect people to give you money for free to make your game , but you want customers to pay you for your game. Thats absolutely ridiculous and silly beyond all thought. What type of mentality is that?
    I cant even believe such a comment would come out of a developers mouth.
    I can understand if you say I will take the free offer of cash. But to expect it like its your right to free cash and you think the people who invested should get nothing? My brain is hurting real hard right now.
    This is just plain stupid. Thanks for the heads up Mr.Ugly on the subject , for today you where actually very nice.
     
  15. BravadoWaffle

    BravadoWaffle Well-Known Member

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    #15 BravadoWaffle, Jul 2, 2011
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2011
    Yemi, if you are referring to me, then I would appreciate it if you wouldn't misquote or put words in my mouth. Your grasp of some of these topics seems tenuous at the best of times.

    It's clearly just me, but I don't quite understand what the short circuit is with people regarding this. It doesn't matter if you don't comprehend entirely, but don't let that dissuade you when the facts speak for themselves. If you present a compelling product to your fan base, and if you setup an fair value exchange (money up front for a discount on final product, funding for a unique experience, patronage for exclusive rewards, etc...), then you CAN indeed raise money.

    If you don't set up a fair exchange for value (i.e. money for nothing), then nobody is going to become a patron of your project and you will fail, because it is indeed disingenuous and unrealistic to expect something for nothing. However, platforms like Kickstarter are all about exchanging value with your patrons ways other than monetary means. Quite often you can provide exciting non-monetary rewards to your patrons that are worth the funding. Everybody wins.

    It's a time honored tradition of patronage dating back to Shakespeare and the renaissance. If you really want to learn here's a book about it.

    It's up to you to decide if you want to do it or not. But you owe it to yourself to stretch your mind a little and try to wrap it around this concept. Because it clearly works the way it is, and has worked for centuries.

    I have high hopes that Games Plant might even take it to the next level and show potential to raise some big bucks for a product. It seems like there's a glass ceiling on Kickstarter of around $30,000 that a game can raise, even with a giant existing fan base. Maybe adding in the potential for future revenue sharing will raise that to six figures. If so, then it certainly does look exciting!

    edit- I should also add that I'm not sure why I feel compelled to participate in pointless arguments like this since I have no vested interest in either side... yet I do. Maybe my life lacks excitement or something... So maybe I'm asking for it. :eek:
     
  16. mr.Ugly

    mr.Ugly Well-Known Member

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    #16 mr.Ugly, Jul 2, 2011
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2011

    you don't need to answere to every silly argument.. :)

    as for rev share headages..

    "How and when do I get my revenue share?
    At the end of each quarter we make a settlement with the developers (whose games have been published) and if the result is that you have earned money, we’ll deposit this money directly into your PayPal account. The PayPal transaction costs incurred for this process (up to 5% of the amount) must be paid by you.
    "

    every 3 month you share the numbers with gamesplant pay them and they spread the money.. at least it reads so.. but feel free to contact them directly they answere right away about any questions you may have.. (i had a few)


    as for kickstarters.. well yes it works more or less.. the question is if a rev share attracts more people to invest into bigger projects.. you got knocked down for asking 5k on kickstarters.. now your around 1,4 on the new run which got funded only because you droped the price to a sum that would (for me) be completely usless todo any significant gain in product quality because of the low amount..

    and again me personaly.. i would never give money away for dev of a game if there is nothing to see in return.. if its sharity then i rather give it to people who really need the money to actually get any food on the table etc. so sharity to create a entertainment product that will be sold afterwards is not my personal cup of tea..
    investing into such is completly different because that is actual business..

    if you check http://www.games-plant.com/the-kore-gang/
    you probably notice that 2 guys already took the 1,5k€ spots (since the silly swags are gone for that)

    so quick calc.. for thoose 1,5k you get around 2,25% rev share (of the complete project) .. so to get your money back/break even the game would need to net 67k on iOS and Android.. and that sounds reasonable for a highly polished product.. over 3 years.. so its an investment you can calculate through..

    and again personally i rather invest then gift money.. if it flops you get nothing.. but on kickstarters you get nothing at all no matter if it flops or not.. (yeah swags..)
     
  17. pinkandpurple

    pinkandpurple Well-Known Member

    May 19, 2011
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    THis is a ridiculous idea.

    Managing 10 or 20 investors for a game might not even make a hundred dollars.

    Also the time taken to even get the funds someone might see the idea and do it themselves.
    IF people want to do it let them but I will not go that road.

    I have artwork and some sound for a game but I am just waiting to save money to hire someone to program it.
     
  18. smuttlegiaco

    smuttlegiaco Well-Known Member

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    am I wrong in assuming that the producer of "outvasion from inner-space" (good name by the way) is the same guy who runs games-plant?

    nothing wrong with it, just a bit odd. he seems to be very industrious...

    I like the idea of sponsoring fellow developers. if I see a game that I really would like to play some day and I have the money to spent, I'd gladly do it (if there's a return, all the better...but I guess games appealing to me wouldn't make much money, hehe)

    it's probably also a good thing for niche products: say you want to play a hardcore napoleonic strategy game on your iPad. you know, the masses wouldn't buy this stuff, so developing such a thing is quite senseless (monetary wise). but if you'd do it in your spare time and attract enough geeks who like this kind of stuff, you would get the money you need to make a descent product, without the need to sell a lot of copies later on. And the niche players would get a game that they love...I like the idea, perhaps some day...:D
     
  19. mr.Ugly

    mr.Ugly Well-Known Member

    Dec 1, 2009
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    the platform is made from game devs yes (the same who work on kore game) which i can't see anything odd about.. except you think one should not use its own platform..
     
  20. BravadoWaffle

    BravadoWaffle Well-Known Member

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    #20 BravadoWaffle, Jul 2, 2011
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2011
    Well that certainly sounds very reasonable to me! Quarterly payments are much easier than monthly payments, and if it gets the big investors then that's pretty sweet.

    I hope this takes off as it seems like a great way to get some big funds!

    The one last perk I appreciate about Kickstarter is the community building aspect of the projects. Since it is more about patronage than investment, the fans feel very involved in the games development and it's success becomes a "community effort."

    So even though we've only raised around $1400 (which is sufficient for what we needed, though I agree it's only a drop in a very large bucket), we've been able to go from totally unheard of to having around 70 new big fans who will help us improve the game and with word of mouth marketing. And in promoting this campaign, we've been covered in most major board gaming blogs, the Chicago Sun, gamezebo, and others which was great for building pre-release buzz!

    If this new platform can get that same community building spirit going, then it will have everything going for it in my book!
     

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