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View Full Version : I Think Kickstarter is Changing the Game World



RichardPF
03-10-2013, 15:28
I had been a lurker on this site for a loooong time, on Aerodrome as well. I have seen many games announced and then not happen. There have been many dramas in the game world. Publishers have merged, gone out of business, reappeared with a reconfigured release schedules and so on. For small companies in a small industry that is often the way of it. Frankly until recently I would have bet even money that Sails of Glory would or would not ever be released. That is life in the game publishing world.

It kind of looks like Kickstarer is changing all that. An article was published on Kickstarter about 6 months ago called The Year of the Game http://www.kickstarter.com/blog/the-year-of-the-game. It detailed how games have, basically out of nowhere, become the number one backed project category on Kickstarter. At the time of the article, Video Games were collecting more cash but board games had a better project success rate. Things have actually gotten a bit more game-centric on Kickstarter since then (See here, Open the categories to see the details (http://www.kickstarter.com/help/stats?ref=footer)).

For someone wanting to publish a game, Kickstarter seems like an unbeatable deal. You need your concept, a pitch, some art work and/or mock-ups, and a reasonably accurate budget of what it will take to produce the game. That's about it. Once upon a time you would take that to a game publisher and hope. Then came Kickstarter (and others). Kickstarter publicizes the game. Collects the "venture capital" needed to produce the game for you in the form of presold orders, and at the end of a successfull campaing sends you the proceeds net of fees with a list of customer orders with shipping addresses. The fees collected for all this are between 7% and 8% split between Kickstarter and the funds collection mechanism. You are then off and going. No waiting for years for an approval from "The Committee" while your rights are tied up, no loss of equity to backers, no wondering what reaction your product will have in the market once all the cash has been invested and the game is finally produced. Some of the projects listed on Kickstarter are from established companies but many are from newcomers to their industries. I think that the initial concept for Kickstarter was just for, well, kickstarting new ventures. I think, however, that if you offered just about ANY established company, game company or any other, a deal like this for a new product roll out that they would jump at it. I certainly would.

Sea Gull
03-10-2013, 16:04
Interesting. One thing is sure. It has certainly opened up the market place to anyone with a good idea and the ability to "sell" it to the public.

Berthier
03-10-2013, 19:46
There are some pretty "interesting" projects on KS too. One that caused me to smile was a guy who was trying to renovate (is that the right word?) his yacht and was offering trips on the boat as the investment purchase. Seemed like a pretty silly idea to me and not many people were taking it up, but just goes to show how KS is only limited by your imagination.

csadn
03-11-2013, 14:51
For someone wanting to publish a game, Kickstarter seems like an unbeatable deal. You need your concept, a pitch, some art work and/or mock-ups, and a reasonably accurate budget of what it will take to produce the game. That's about it. Once upon a time you would take that to a game publisher and hope. Then came Kickstarter (and others). Kickstarter publicizes the game. Collects the "venture capital" needed to produce the game for you in the form of presold orders, and at the end of a successfull campaing sends you the proceeds net of fees with a list of customer orders with shipping addresses. The fees collected for all this are between 7% and 8% split between Kickstarter and the funds collection mechanism. You are then off and going. No waiting for years for an approval from "The Committee" while your rights are tied up, no loss of equity to backers, no wondering what reaction your product will have in the market once all the cash has been invested and the game is finally produced. Some of the projects listed on Kickstarter are from established companies but many are from newcomers to their industries. I think that the initial concept for Kickstarter was just for, well, kickstarting new ventures. I think, however, that if you offered just about ANY established company, game company or any other, a deal like this for a new product roll out that they would jump at it. I certainly would.

It certainly helps answer the question "is there a market for this?".

The important part for me, given how long I've been gaming and how many times I've tried to get something published, is: Gaming companies cannot any longer reserve publishing "slots" for their friends, or people with "the right credentials"; nor can they "blacklist" people with whom they disagree (yes, they do -- I've seen it enough times). Someone wants to try publishing his game -- he can; he isn't forced to work with a Name Company any more.

Much the same is happening in the book-publishing industry -- the "Big Six" (now five, with the Random House/Penguin merger) no longer control the sole means for getting books to readers. Anyone with a computer, a word-processor program, and access to the 'Net can be a Published Author now. (Admittedly, there's still Sturgeon's Law to deal with, but.... :) )

Like Tank says in _The Matrix_: "Mmm -- *very* exciting times."

7eat51
03-12-2013, 14:52
What is nice about Kickstarters is that it allows people to vote with their pocketbooks as opposed to having the decisions made for them by industry executives. Daniel, this relates to the example you provided. One never knows how folks will value something until they have a chance to voice their opinion.


Human ingenuity is an incredible thing.

RichardPF
03-12-2013, 16:20
Much the same is happening in the book-publishing industry -- the "Big Six" (now five, with the Random House/Penguin merger) no longer control the sole means for getting books to readers. Anyone with a computer, a word-processor program, and access to the 'Net can be a Published Author now. (Admittedly, there's still Sturgeon's Law to deal with, but.... :) )



In the background of some of the 3D Printer images I posted you may have noticed (and I pointed out) my humungous 2D printer (Canon imageRUNNER Advance 8085). What was not seen to the left was the binding, shrink wrap, and DVD production equipment. When I could not find any text books that I liked for the courses I teach I wrote and printed my own (8 titles now in print). All are available through the Follett College bookstore chain, some are available on Amazon (though their deal kind of sucks). I leave it to others to determine where they fall on the Sturgeon's Law continuum.

RichardPF
03-12-2013, 16:21
What is nice about Kickstarters is that it allows people to vote with their pocketbooks as opposed to having the decisions made for them by industry executives. Daniel, this relates to the example you provided. One never knows how folks will value something until they have a chance to voice their opinion...

You might even call it an "Invisible Hand"

Berthier
03-12-2013, 16:41
A recent report in Australia highlighted that KS is not all smiles and roses. Of the top 50 projects funded, more than 30% failed to deliver on time, some were months delayed, a few NEVER delivered and some delivered products that did not meet the original descriptions and even failed to work properly (some kind of electronic pen was one of the items). Anyway it always comes down to buyer beware, and with KS, particularly if you don't live in the USA you would probably not be protected by consumer laws. Obviously the vast majority of these projects that are funded work, sometimes too well, and the designers become victims to their own success being unable to provide product because they don't have the manufacturing capacity.

So as with anything a little caution is worthwhile...naturally none of this relates to SOG!

csadn
03-12-2013, 17:34
Of the top 50 projects funded, more than 30% failed to deliver on time, some were months delayed, a few NEVER delivered and some delivered products that did not meet the original descriptions and even failed to work properly (some kind of electronic pen was one of the items).

I've seen an article on this -- it appears a large part of the problem is: The folks coming up with the projects *epically* underestimated Clarkson's Question ("I mean -- How Hard Can It Be?"). The project which is expected to have maybe 200 people in it suddenly gets 2,000; the electronic pen where Reach exceeds Technology's Grasp; sometimes, it's just that the folks involved get overwhelmed. The KS program, in itself, works like a charm; it's outside that perimeter that things go wonky.

RichardPF
03-12-2013, 18:17
I've seen an article on this -- it appears a large part of the problem is: The folks coming up with the projects *epically* underestimated Clarkson's Question ("I mean -- How Hard Can It Be?"). The project which is expected to have maybe 200 people in it suddenly gets 2,000; the electronic pen where Reach exceeds Technology's Grasp; sometimes, it's just that the folks involved get overwhelmed. The KS program, in itself, works like a charm; it's outside that perimeter that things go wonky.

Certainly a new product creation and launch is a bit different deal than buying something from Amazon for both the backers and producers. My guess is as time goes on, parties on both sides of the project will get more sophisticated and better understand those differences. I can see (and have seen) projects where the creators "seeing money on the table" have gone a bit crazy in their stretch goals. To their credit, Ares appears to be resisting that temptation admirably and only offering stretch goal rewards that they are confident they can produce in a cost effective and timely manner.

Sea Gull
03-13-2013, 02:31
Certainly a new product creation and launch is a bit different deal than buying something from Amazon for both the backers and producers. My guess is as time goes on, parties on both sides of the project will get more sophisticated and better understand those differences. I can see (and have seen) projects where the creators "seeing money on the table" have gone a bit crazy in their stretch goals. To their credit, Ares appears to be resisting that temptation admirably and only offering stretch goal rewards that they are confident they can produce in a cost effective and timely manner.

Which essentially is good news for us.

RichardPF
03-13-2013, 10:17
Which essentially is good news for us.

Yes it absolutely is!
It means that it will be a bit frustrating because many of us would pledge to the moon if, for example, all of the ships were available even as paid for stretch goals to recreate famous battles from not only the Napoleonic wars but those from the "golden age" of pirates to the dawn of the steam age and beyond. Port Royal Jamaca? The Spanish armada? US Civil War battles of Ironclads? Ares could get the KS total to many times where it will likely end up. Then have the devil to pay to actually deliver. They are not doing that. They are staying responsible.