Within hours of the announcement of Double Fine’s attempt to raise funding for their new unnamed adventure game through Kickstarter the Tweets had started coming in. Kickstarter is an American site where projects can drum up support and get the masses to chip in and pay for it before work actually properly starts. It’s effectively a public Dragons’ Den, for if the full amount isn’t reach then they walk away with nothing.
Double Fine needn’t have worried, though. Within twenty-four hours they had trebled their initial goal of $400,000, and that number seems to be steadily rising towards $2m. It’s an impressive feat, and shows just how much is thought of the talented developers that have brought us the wondrous likes of Psychonauts, Day of the Tentacle and Stacking. The thirst for yet more of their creative juices to be let loose is evident.
As I say, the Tweets arrived, suggesting that if the company I work for did the same then certain parties would happily hand over cold hard cash for a sequel to Project X. Strange thing is that even if it were within my power to influence such matters, which it’s definitely not, did you know that crowd funding is not legal in Britain?
The trade body UKIE, spurred on by recent events, are now compiling a report into how UK law could be adapted and changed to bring in this novel way of financing a project, but would it actually change our industry’s situation? Double Fine managed to get what they needed through a large amount of brand loyalty; years of devotion by gamers to an ever changing style but consistent quality.
Similar companies such as Valve and Blizzard I’m sure would receive similar support, although I’m doubtful whether the budgets they operate with could even be scratched by Kickstarter. And at the other end of the scale, I wonder what would come of the debuting studios and how they could possibly gain traction in such an environment. With nothing but an elevator pitch to go on you can make the Grand Theft Auto seem tawdry and deplorable and yet similarly Superman 64 sound ground breaking.
With the recent news that industry tax breaks have all but been ruled illegal in Europe, is this enough of a replacement incentive for businesses, or merry band wagon jumping by an organisation seeking the popular vote on the new story of the week? Whilst it is a very heart-warming story, I feel Tim Schafer and Double Fine’s fortune are the exception and not the beginning of a revolution.
I make my living as a programmer at a British games developer. In my spare time I try and spread myself between writing, gaming, drumming, goalkeeping, rolling dice and keeping my hair blue. Somewhere around that my wife fits in.
Disclaimer: the views expressed are my own and do not neccessarily reflect those of my employer. "
4 Comments
I can only hope they sort out the law and allow a proper UK variant, as my initial reaction after paying for the Double Fine game was to explore the rest of Kickstarter, searching for projects to throw money at.
It’s a fantastic idea in principle, but if it does catch on let’s hope there’s a way for the dross to sink to the bottom of the pile.
Since writing that I too went back and had a gander through Kickstart. There seems a great breadth in what’s going on there.
I wonder if this is in fact the new App Store, where everyone will suddenly be drawn with the all the tell of the riches that can be garnered from it.
I hadn’t realised it wasn’t legal to crowdsource in the UK! I’ve seen Indiegogo used for UK-based projects, but as the money is paid regardless of whether the target is hit, I wonder if that’s the get-around?
Anyway, from a tabletop gaming perspective I’ve seen Kickstarter used a lot too, where it’s being used almost like a preorder – it registers interest and commitment from the customers, allowing the designer to pay for a small print run.
I like it!
I didn’t know about Indiegogo, so I will go and take a gander.
I don’t know the real specifics about just why it’s not legal this side of the pond, but the extension is supposedly – having looked into one portion a little further – that we’re not really 100% allowed to contribute to the Kickstarter as it’s only open to American residents.
I guess what it boils down to, both with this and Indiegogo, is that it might be just that when it comes to the Internet that boundaries are a little fluffy.