Elite on Kickstarter...

[Darkflame]

I'm waiting for a major(ish) TV series to be funded this way. Sure, theres rights issues, but how many true fans you think Whedon has, and how much will they put up for Firefly.....

[adam]

single episodes might be viable, probably a series is as well but even a million restricts the budget for that a bit

if it's something new that'd be easier of course

it's interesting because if only one ep at a time is being funded it'd lend itself either to one-offs or to cliff-hanger endings

i'm wondering if the series model grew out of the saturday morning films, or radio dramatisations of books where they had to split it into half hours

personally i'd like to see very personal one-offs made this way, things a director & actors might really want to make, tv networks are generally going to bugger about with interesting things, especially american ones, and the things that raised money easily this way and were popular might set the direction for new series, or turn into them

[Christian]

I think Kickstarter should be about artists getting funding to create something that otherwise wouldn't be possible. I'd love for Jeff & Giles to do a Kickstarter to allow them to create their dream game. We'd all know it was their vision, created by them, with their love care and attention.

The Elite: Dangerous kickstarter is something entirely different. It's not Braben creating his dream. The money will just go to pay a random collection of people to create a game and keep Frontier's business going. It won't be coded by Braben, probably not designed by him and heck it won't even be funded by him. If this really was the dream version of Elite he's always wanted to create then why hasn't he done it already? He's had 14 years and an entire games development studio at his disposal. He could have being doing it instead wasting time and money on the Outsider.

Christian.

[Darkflame]

Just because Knitamals and Lost Winds are easier sales doesn't make projects like Outsiders a waste of time.
It was a risky project trying something new and it failed......but surely we should encourage risks, not criticize them?

I also dont see why its somehow unworthy for a guy trying to keep a company in business and his staff employed to use kickstarter to fund something publishers arnt willing too,

personally i'd like to see very personal one-offs made this way, things a director & actors might really want to make, tv networks are generally going to bugger about with interesting things, especially american ones, and the things that raised money easily this way and were popular might set the direction for new series, or turn into them

That would be cool.

[adam]

was watching tv today which i don't often do and i was struck by how all the ads in one commercial break were for websites or computers

am interested that a lot of things that were free on the net, 50 shades for instance, have gone on to be books or tv programmes and done fairly well

& it might have been 5 or 6 years ago when one publisher told me that his magazine was driving traffic to his site rather than the other way round.

[Christian]

I also dont see why its somehow unworthy for a guy trying to keep a company in business and his staff employed to use kickstarter to fund something publishers arnt willing too,

Because that's all it really is, a last ditch effort to keep in business. If he'd really been interested in creating a new Elite he would have done it by now. 14 years and nothing and then suddenly it's what he's always wanted to do.

Christian.

[Istar]

Haters gonna hate.

EDIT: ah, just read someones' web-profile. Penny drops.

[gravy]

I also dont see why its somehow unworthy for a guy trying to keep a company in business and his staff employed to use kickstarter to fund something publishers arnt willing too,

Because that's all it really is, a last ditch effort to keep in business. If he'd really been interested in creating a new Elite he would have done it by now. 14 years and nothing and then suddenly it's what he's always wanted to do.

Christian.

Are the motivations important? If fans end up with a game they love and Frontier get some cash isn't that mutually beneficial?

The biggest problem is I don't think they can make the game they're describing on time or to budget.

Hope I'm wrong

BTW Do you talk to Ian? What does he think of this?

[Little stoned kiwi]

Perhaps calling Kickstarter a begging-bowl was a bit harsh. It's more of a buskers hat, only you don't get to hear the song before you put money in it.
Don't get me wrong, I can see how projects can be constructive and successful. I can also see how it's rife for exploitation, scamming, and the damnation of good intentions. It's business subsidisation by well-wishers.

Elite stands a chance because it is a popular franchise that can cash in on nostalgics with disposable income. If anyone else tried to raise a million for a space trading game they probably wouldn't get past the first round. Ergo, I don't see Kickstarter changing the world of production and consumerism.
If the Kickstart is successful, if the project delivers something, and if it's something I want then I'll be able to buy it just like any other game. Throwing money at the Kickstart gives me the risks of being an investor with none of the benefits.

[Orangy Tang]

Haters gonna hate.

EDIT: ah, just read someones' web-profile. Penny drops.

( http://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Sc ... _Code=PFSC )

[Orangy Tang]

If anyone else tried to raise a million for a space trading game they probably wouldn't get past the first round.

Star Citizen is a space exploration/trading/combat game that asked for 500k and just passed £1M. It's got a fantastic pitch video, lots of detail and is obviously not vaporware.

It'd also just become very popular a couple of weeks before this hastily put together Elite KS appeared - it's obvious that Braben saw how successful it was and banged this out to cash in on KS nostalgia.

[Darkflame]

If your going to protect your IP, surely its better for you to try all funding methods? Surely its better to try to use that IP?
It seems more wrong to me if you dont, then your just restricting others with no intent to use it yourself.

It'd also just become very popular a couple of weeks before this hastily put together Elite KS appeared - it's obvious that Braben saw how successful it was and banged this out to cash in on KS nostalgia.

Or he just saw how successful KS is in general amongst people/company in similar situations. Theres been quite a lot of well funded games from known names now, as well as the unknowns.

The biggest problem is I don't think they can make the game they're describing on time or to budget.

Depends how much they have done already, certainly impossible if starting from scratch.
The procedural nature should certainly help them asset wise too.

[Jamesac]

It'd also just become very popular a couple of weeks before this hastily put together Elite KS appeared - it's obvious that Braben saw how successful it was and banged this out to cash in on KS nostalgia.

Or how successful the Double Fine Kickstarter was. Or Project Eternity, Wasteland 2, Shadowrun Returns, Planetary Annihiliation, and other highly successful ones that didn't clear the $1,000,000 mark but still raked in the cash? As for freeform space games, both Kinetic Void and Drifter did well, although each was under $100,000, and while Skyjacker failed, it's still got a fan-base and still creeping forward in development.

Yeah, it's a poorly-assembled Kickstarter, but- A decent front page is easy to do. Take a couple hours and write about your game and why it's interesting, keeping in mind why someone might care. Post a video of the gameplay, if you've got it, or at least make sure you're saying things that matter while not confusing your pitch with a low-rent comedy special. Come up with some interesting rewards, think carefully about the tiers and the costs associated with them, and be sure to explain them thoroughly in the limited text space available (for me, this would be the toughest part). The point is, while there's some work in involved, it's not overwhelmingly complicated, so the conclusion you can draw is that Braben sucks at presentation.

James

[Little stoned kiwi]

If anyone else tried to raise a million for a space trading game they probably wouldn't get past the first round.

Star Citizen is a space exploration/trading/combat game that asked for 500k and just passed £1M. It's got a fantastic pitch video, lots of detail and is obviously not vaporware.

I don't see how Chris Roberts banging on about a new Wing Commander is any different, though it it demonstrates a very nice culmination of pre-order bonuses/pay-to-win strategies.
Perhaps it is going to work out. Perhaps it's being made by someone who will never consider it finished. Perhaps it will be released but never considered finished so perpetually funded by a pay-to-play/win scheme. Regardless of the outcome, money with no strings attached is a great business model.

Hype, hype, hooray!

[Jamesac]

If you don't want to have faith in a game developer who's had years of finished project shipped, by all means, don't. Just keep in mind that you've wandered right out of skepticism and are now square in the middle of cynicism.

James