next »

[Snow]

I wish I could use something like Kickstarter but for me there are 2 problems.

1.I don't have a name out there + my game is a simple type of game that doesn't exist but is based on 2 popular mobile styles. It's also an iOS/Android game and I can in no way predict it's success or failure. Most likely it won't make anything beyond a few weeks worth of pocket change.

2. If I could actually convince someone to fund me, because the game is so simple in code/graphics and execution, I could only and fairly request a small amount. In reality however, the actual amount I would need is enough money to buy a new Mac (since I'm borrowing atm now) and also enough money to cover 2 to 3 months of living expenses despite that the game should only take 3 more solid weeks to complete what's left. (So far I've put in excess of 200 hours into it). I would need the extra months expenses, since, once I'm done, I'd have to look for employment again to get some wages in as I plan for my next project and also wait on the market to see if my game makes money if any at all. One CANNOT count on a mobile game to bring in income. If you made something good and luck out, then consider yourself lucky. With employment, it takes time to get something and also to have wages coming in.

I'm wondering if I should make a website and blog the WIP game. Then I could ask for donations. The only problem is, then the game's mechanic would then be out there. However, having no name would still pose a huge problem. How many would go to the site - even if the link was posted on many forums or given out in one way or another to as many people as possible? And those, if any who donate would have no solid guarantee that the product would be finished, since I have no game design history online.

[Nix]

http://www.lostgarden.com/2005/08/why-you-should-share-your-game-designs.html?m=1

[DecapitatedOrk]

Out of curiosity, has anyone who hasn't finished a profitable project managed to get funding from Kickstart? I've been doing some research lately and it seems all the projects that meet their goals, already have a team of people whom have completed another project.

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

messhof is one example of what you are looking for

[BravadoWaffle]

I know a few were following our fund raising attempts on Kickstarter, so I wanted to post this follow up. We are relaunching our Kickstarter campaign with a revised funding goal, revised reward tiers, and revised video that is wayyyy less boring than the original teaser trailer.

We fell far short of raising the money we needed on our first attempt (we only managed to raise $500 of the $5000 we had hoped for). However, we learned a lot from our first attempt on Kickstarter, and got some great suggestions on how to improve its overall appeal.

Even though we did not achieve our goal in fund raising, it was still a great success in marketing, community building, and finding our audience. Overall, it didn't impress the typical TouchArcade user very much. However, there is a large following that grew over in the BoardGameGeek community, as well as with many tactical strategy game fans. They helped point out similarities in our game to classics like X-Com and RoboSports which we had totally overlooked!

Their feedback and response has helped us refine our marketing message, and hopefully define our niche much more clear.

Our new campaign has a much lower funding goal of $1000, this is the bare minimum needed to pay an artist and get an additional layer of production quality polish put on the game. We thought it was worth one more attempt at fund raising with a more refined presentation because we really want to include the in-game illustrated art and cut scenes with the initial release. Also we'd love to be able to release it as soon as possible, so the funding could help us take additional time off real world work to dedicate to finishing the development.

You can check out the newly launched Kickstarter campaign (and pledge if you like) here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bravadowaffle/roboarena-asynchronous-multiplayer-tactical-ios-ga

Even if we fail a second time to raise the needed funds, I'd still recommend it to any developer looking to release a serious game. It's a tremendous learning experience and it's awesome free marketing. You get to see exactly what kind of person your game appeals to, and get to communicate directly with, and find, your biggest supporters (those willing to pledge to your project). Every asset can be reused later for other marketing purposes, and if you are a no name developer who is new to the scene, it's a great way to get some quick initial exposure!

What do you think of the new attempt? Better than the old one? Any marketing suggestions for getting the word out?