4 ms·

Yes but consider this is Tim Schafer. I see his name on a product, 99% of the time I'm going to pay. I saw Trenched on xbox arcade and bought it immediately, wh

Yes but consider this is Tim Schafer. I see his name on a product, 99% of the time I'm going to pay. I saw Trenched on xbox arcade and bought it immediately, whilst any other game it'll be 2 weeks or more before I buy it even though I have the points to get rid of. Similarly I see a John Scalzi or Terry Pratchett book and its bought, no thinking necessary. Again, if I see Futurama on TV it's going to be on. Would I pay $20 in advance to get this? Yes, I pre-order shit regularly. Would I pay it 6 months in advance? Meh probably.

mitsche 15y ago
You have either to convince a few people with lots of money to fund your project, or a lot of people to give you a small amount of money. Both options require some amount of reputation on your part and/or some goodwill from the patrons. One of these options will leave you in a worse position. I know which one I would prefer.
malvim 15y ago
I think that's exactly the point. People want to buy stuff from whoever they like. This is the same as the Louis CK show. I like these guys, they're releasing something new, I'll pay (and wait for it if needed). Whether or not this would work for indie/unknown developers is a whole other story, I think. The main point is direct funding.
- jonnathanson 15y ago
  "Whether or not this would work for indie/unknown developers is a whole other story, I think." I agree that the jury's still out for the little guy, but I'd argue that the little guy simply needs to hustle that much harder to get noticed. In theory, there's little reason why a compelling-looking presentation about a video game, from a relative unknown, wouldn't catch fire if marketed correctly. Look at the Elevation Dock, for instance. Different category altogether, but the video demonstrates the appeal of the product, the thought that went into its design, and the personality of its creator (unknown to the general public prior to the Kickstarter project). A "Startup Tim Schafer" would need to be his (or her) own marketing team. He'd want to -- probably need to -- crack the top Kickstarter listings, and hopefully earn some press pickup, by making an undeniably killer presentation. And he'd need to make damned sure to ship something in the end. (While it's true that Kickstarter isn't technically a pre-sales site, a lot of users seem to treat it that way. If you're an upstart developer with no AAA track record, your Kickstarter launch is your track record; you'll have a razor-thin margin of error). No doubt Tim Schafer has a lot of advantages over Startup Tim Schafer. But the hill isn't impossible for Startup Tim to climb. If anything, I think the existence of Kickstarter makes things a lot easier for him. Kickstarter can be an excellent marketing tool every bit as much as it's a funding tool.

mitsche 15y ago

You have either to convince a few people with lots of money to fund your project, or a lot of people to give you a small amount of money. Both options require some amount of reputation on your part and/or some goodwill from the patrons. One of these options will leave you in a worse position. I know which one I would prefer.

malvim 15y ago

I think that's exactly the point. People want to buy stuff from whoever they like. This is the same as the Louis CK show. I like these guys, they're releasing something new, I'll pay (and wait for it if needed). Whether or not this would work for indie/unknown developers is a whole other story, I think. The main point is direct funding.

jonnathanson 15y ago
"Whether or not this would work for indie/unknown developers is a whole other story, I think." I agree that the jury's still out for the little guy, but I'd argue that the little guy simply needs to hustle that much harder to get noticed. In theory, there's little reason why a compelling-looking presentation about a video game, from a relative unknown, wouldn't catch fire if marketed correctly. Look at the Elevation Dock, for instance. Different category altogether, but the video demonstrates the appeal of the product, the thought that went into its design, and the personality of its creator (unknown to the general public prior to the Kickstarter project). A "Startup Tim Schafer" would need to be his (or her) own marketing team. He'd want to -- probably need to -- crack the top Kickstarter listings, and hopefully earn some press pickup, by making an undeniably killer presentation. And he'd need to make damned sure to ship something in the end. (While it's true that Kickstarter isn't technically a pre-sales site, a lot of users seem to treat it that way. If you're an upstart developer with no AAA track record, your Kickstarter launch is your track record; you'll have a razor-thin margin of error). No doubt Tim Schafer has a lot of advantages over Startup Tim Schafer. But the hill isn't impossible for Startup Tim to climb. If anything, I think the existence of Kickstarter makes things a lot easier for him. Kickstarter can be an excellent marketing tool every bit as much as it's a funding tool.