Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, watching Coachella on YouTube, Kanye & Kim, or Mariano Rivera possibly retiring after this season, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Thanks to Double Fine’s wild success on Kickstarter, several developers are looking to use the service to fund and self-publish their games. A few weeks ago, we had a fun conversation about alternative publishing models and how they can boost creativity. Today I’d like to talk to you about Kickstarter-funded games. I know that a few of you contributed to Double Fine’s project. What would it take for you to contribute to another Kickstarter game?
Most developers that seek Kickstarter funds don’t have the reputation and sheer lovability of Double Fine (Tim Schafer is awesome and Anna Kipnis is awesome + hot). How do smaller or lesser-known developers catch your eye and open your wallet? As for me, there are several ways developers can get my money. The Banner Saga features my favorite videogame genre and talent from one of my favorite developers of all time. A lot of people are interested in Republique because they’ve heard of Ryan Payton from his days at Kojima Productions and 343 Studios; having Metal Gear Solid and Halo 4 on your resume helps, but I’m going to contribute because Ryan is cool (a technical term).
How about you? What factors would make you contribute to a Kickstarter-funded game? And when will one of you business geniuses start a modest Kickstarter pitch for my site?!? I totally suck at money stuff.
Free sample or full products in order to open up my wallet to a relative unknown's game pitch. With an investment of less than $20 I wouldn't mind if the product flopped necessarily. I'd be perturbed at a cut and run with no product but that can happen anywhere.
Yeah, I'm with Smartguy on this one. A demo or a finished product would lend itself to credibility in the eyes of investors. If there is a good ROI, I wouldn't mind going anywhere from $100 to $1,000 depending on the developer or game.
You know, at one point (after I played Eternal Darkness) I would have been prepared to give oodles of money to Silicon Knights (they are actually the namesake of my XBL 'tag: Silicon Iceman) because I thought they were awesome. Unfortunately, a series of missteps (Too Human, anyone?) seemed to display their vulnerabilities. Still, I would give them money if it meant brining Eternal Darkness 2 to fruition.
Also, If making Half Life 2; Episode 3 is a money issue, why doesn't Valve just use Kickstarter to ask for the needed funds. I suspect that there will be no shortage of impatient gamers that want to play that already. It's slowly turning into the next "Duke Nukem Forever".
-M
The difference is: Half Life 2 Episode 3, or simply Half Life 3 actually has potential (don't want to give Valve a guaranteed hit just because of their name) to live up to consumer expectations.
I would consider contributing if it was a game that actually caught my attention or that I knew about. Looking into this sort of thing hasn't really been something I have done, so I have no clue what is out there. Honestly I tend to stick to some of the bigger names which don't seem to need help publishing their games. Names I would support if they needed it though would be id, Popcap, DICE (only if it was Mirror's Edge 2), and 343. Maybe a couple others if the game seemed cool. I guess the only contributing factor would be it must be a game I would enjoy. Also, a playable demo version of the game as an investment bonus would be great.
edit: also I would invest if it meant Dreamkillers could finally come to xbox 360. I know that won't happen though, as it is an old game now.
I want to invest in Republique, but it is hard to justify it knowing they don't want to develop outside iOS. I don't even care about the guy's background. The concept is amazing and I know he is determined to it a good game. Any game that strikes me as well thought out and is offering a finished product that I can play is on my list of possible investments. Doublefine got my money and I'm thinking about Republique and Liesure suit Larry. Also, sequels are a hard buy for me. I have to know that they are dedicated to make a good game and not just another sequel.
I would consider it if i was able to be a beta tester, received an early demo, the game itself, or some type of exclusive DLC. All of these options would vary on the donation I made.