Hi

I am wondering if this is going to be the new "trend" - asking for donations in order to get a game developed and published

And if so, I wonder why I've not seen it happening before ??

Although maybe it has and I've just missed it ??

Cheers.

Mad

Hi Mad -- we live in interesting times, don't we? There have been other adventure games where, if you followed the link at GameBoomers to the developer's website or googled the game title, you would see a Kickstarter campaign on the developer's website or at Kickstarter. In the past, this was for Indie games, attempting to raise a few thousand dollars. It has been our policy not to directly post a link to a Kickstarter campaign.

The Double Fine Kickstarter campaign is obviously changing the landscape.

Yes, as successful as this is, I would expect to see more games being financed this way, and perhaps games that in the past would have been published by traditional publishers.

Hold on to your hat! We may be in for a wild ride.

Hi Becky

The only other Kitckstarter campaign I've seen was the one from Phoenix On Line - for their first commercial venture.
So I guess I'm not very "with it"

However, I don't think myself that people will want to help finance a game development and then buy the finished product on a regular basis.
I think the novelty will wear off !!

But maybe I'm being too harsh ....

Cheers.

Mad

We don't know where this will lead, which is part of the fun. But in this case, when you fund the Double Fine Adventure game, you are actually purchasing it as well. So it is, in a sense, a preorder. (Not all Kickstarter campaigns are like that, though. In many cases you are just funding the development.)

The game will release on Steam, and if you've contributed, Double Fine will send you a Steam code when the game is finished.

The problem is of course, that you're purchasing a game who hasn't yet been produced. So it practically can only function if the developer has a solid fan base, who blindly trust in his/her works.
I cannot see how this can function for less popular/fresh developers... unless they actually developed enough already to be able to show what it's all about. So unfortunately I don't think that would completely change the game rules - besides only for the biggest developers.

Another view however is, that small indie companies don't necessarily need $1.3 mil. or even $400k. So even if you get $10k, it can help you fund necessary expenses.

I fear that after this massive success, Kickstarter and the likes will be flooded by projects of people who think they will get million dollars for nothing even if their name is not Tim Schafer.

Also - I applaud the independent developers that persevere and struggle on their own to give us gamers the fruit of their genius, time and sweat. Those are the true Indie developers.

Another thought - the funded Indie developers will have to live up to the expectations in game quality and time of release of their proposed endeavors.


Adventure Games are rolling!

Marita, that's exactly my thought. For a small indie developers the question of completing the game is way more tangible, than for a top class seasoned professional studios as Double Fine is, where investing is almost no risk. In my life I've seen (and was part of) so many games in development yet only a small fragment was actually finished.

There are exceptions to this rule though. If eg. Mikael Nyqvist kickstarted a new Carol Reed game, it's almost 100% sure that he is going to make it, given his annual track record.

I agree if Mikael Nyqvist kickstarts; I would gladly help.

True. But I consider myself a pretty big fan and still these things usually don't grasp my attention.
I guess there needs to be a lot more focus on marketing than currently.

But what does a Kickstarter scheme guarantee ??

There have been developers who have managed to fund their own game entirely - but we've never got to play it because they couldn't find a willing publisher ??

Apparently it's extremely difficult for developers to get publishers to fund a point-and-click adventure game on the PC. The publishers have been telling Tim Schafer (from what we can tell) that there simply isn't a market for point-and-click adventures. In the US, before Portal 2, there were a lot of people even questioning whether there is a market for PC games in general.

The response to this Kickstarter campaign has shown that there is a market if you go directly to the fans.

Yes, some adventure game developers have funded the development of their games entirely (by working day jobs, for instance) and still haven't gotten publishers to produce them. Or, in many cases, the publishers have produced them, but then claim that the games did so poorly (or advertising/marketing cost so much) that they don't pay the developers at all (or only a pittance).

Am I answering your question? I'm not sure I am yet!

Becky !!

I suppose one thing I'm asking is ....

Will funding by fans in this manner guarantee they will get the game ??

I suppose it will in cases where the funding donated also secures a purchase - as I am assuming the purchase is to be directly from the developer, with no "external" publisher involved ??

I don't like to think about other "cases" though

Cheers.

Mad

In the case of the Double Fine Adventure (hey, that sounds like the title of a mystery novel) -- from what I've read, anyone who donates $15 or above will be given a code when the game is finished that will allow them to play the game on Steam.

Since Double Fine has a track record for releasing games, there seems to be little chance that the "investors" won't ever be able to play the game.

Investing money in a Kickstarter project with a different team of developers who don't have a track record implies a greater risk that the game won't be finished and the investors won't ever get to play the game.

I don't like to think about that type of case either, but I suppose it's bound to happen at some point if you participate in a lot of Kickstarter projects.

Thank you, Becky

I don't have the means to fund many Kickstarter projects so those that I might consider will have to be run by sites I trust and respect