so you want to kickstart your game? by casper friis farsøe [email protected]...
TRANSCRIPT
Bachelor in Software Development at ITU Masters in Games (Tech line) at ITU Gameplay Programmer at Logic Artists Co-Owner/Technical Director at
Frostwolf Studios
About Casper
Expeditions: Conquistador
Kickstarter
What is the primary purpose of Kickstarter?
Raise money – right?
Controversial Statement #1
Kickstarter is terrible for acquiring a lot of money
(in most cases)
Danish Games on Kickstarter
'The Big Three' Rule
Well-known and established team
”Rockstar” Developer
Famous IP
Source: Thomas Lund (Full Control)
Danish Games on Kickstarter
Controversial Statement #2
Kickstarter is primarily a PR/Marketing tool
Before the campaign – plan, plan, plan! During the campaign – release the Kraken! After the campaign – the project failed After the campaign – the project succeeded Various things to remember
So you want to go on Kickstarter
Have a playable prototype of the game Prepare reward tiers – be careful with
physical rewards Select what media you want to contact – and
send material to them 2-3 weeks in advance Prepare the majority of the updates for the
Kickstarter duration Have a ”base” - some website where all
traffic can be directed to Look at other Kickstarter projects
Before the campaign
Roll out the updates on a regular basis (no updates is a dead project)
Decide what updates needs to be public or hidden
Have someone dedicated to answer comments
Don't promise what you can't guarantee Stop clicking F5 on the Kickstarter page –
it's not healthy for you
During the campaign
65% of all games on Kickstarter have failed (as of September 2014)
Make sure the team knows what happens if YOUR project fails
Communicate clearly to backers – is the project dead?
If work continues, redirect everyone to the ”base”
You got no money, but hopefully some fans
After the campaign - failed
The game is now public – backers expect to hear what's going on
Ensure that updates go out at least every month
Continue to debate with backers Deliver on time, or be very clear why the
product is delayed Physical rewards needs to be sent out – a
lot of overhead
After the campaign - succeeded
Don't make Kickstarter projects in a personal company form like I/S. Lawsuits!
Kickstarter DK vs Kickstarter US Stretch goals must be realistic Show where the money goes Your Kickstarter video can make or break
the project – ensure good audio quality Have fun with it!
Various things to remember
Casper Friis Farsøe
CasperFFarsoe
Slides: www.frostwolfstudios.com/talks/spilbarviborg.ppt