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.