This is what new world gaming looks like: Double Fine, the widely-admired game studio founded by Tim Schafer, launched a crowdfunder on Kickstarter to raise funds for an independenty-produced and distributed adventure game. To make it, they just wanted $400,000, and set themselves over a month to raise that amount. Instead, donors invested over $700,000 in under 24 hours. Over 9000 pledged $15, which gets them the game and some extras, and an impressive 1500+ kicked in $100 for a poster and other goodies. Now Double Fine will make a game free from a publisher's (often irksome) involvement, create it with the knowledge they have a fanbase already eager for it, won't go broke making it... while about 18,000 Double Fine fans will get themselves a high-quality game for $15.
The coolest thing? This:
There are dozens of game developers with enough name recognition for the games they've already made to raise this kind of money or more. So expect to see more of this kind of crowdfunding soon -- while old school publishers worry if they're relevant any more in this new social media-driven, crowd-powered era.
As somebody who spent days and weeks playing adventures I completely understand this. There are not enough adventures on the market for years. They are expensive to produce and the market is comparatively small.
As the Internet kicked in, MMORPG's took the place, but MMORPG to an adventure is like reality TV to a British movie.
Posted by: dandellion Kimban | Thursday, February 09, 2012 at 10:31 AM
How many dollars would Double Fine have earned if investors could earn equity? Status update on investment crowdfunding.
http://fundinglaunchpad.com/2012/02/kerrigan/
Posted by: Dave | Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 04:31 PM