Broken Age - Double Fine's Kickstarter Adventure Game

[Aeschylus]

Everyone's complaints seem to be about art and tone. I don't see how less (or more) money would change those.

The question is if they could afford the artist if they raised just the $300k.

Considering he is their staff artist and has been there since the beginning of the company... yes. They would not have been able to afford BG concept people like Peter Chan though.

 

[Curious_Tongue]

Everyone's complaints seem to be about art and tone. I don't see how less (or more) money would change those.

Don't these types of games always struggle to win over people at first?

I remember someone saying that the game Beyond Good and Evil failed because people saw the pig man and dismissed it. (I haven't played it myself)

 

[J_C]

Everyone's complaints seem to be about art and tone. I don't see how less (or more) money would change those.

Don't these types of games always struggle to win over people at first?

I remember someone saying that the game Beyond Good and Evil failed because people saw the pig man and dismissed it. (I haven't played it myself)

Get out! (but yeah, some people dismissed the game because of the artstyle.)

 

[Curious_Tongue]

Get out! (but yeah, some people dismissed the game because of the artstyle.)

I dismissed it at first, but then I read that it failed because no-one gave it a chance, and it made me feel bad

I own it, I just haven't gotten around to playing it.

 

[jfrisby]

So they're probably going to sell this at $40ish retail.

I think they're aiming at a sub-$20 price point for the final game (I wouldn't be surprised by $14.99, like The Cave).
They've got some crazy math, in which they're tacking on money for the bundled documentary (~$15), backer-forum access (~$10), and who knows what else -- to arrive at that $35 figure. I guess that could change if enough people perceive the game to be worth $35, maybe that's what they're trying to do.

Up to a couple of months ago they were still offering this same backer package for $15 (which was the Kickstarter rate on that stuff). They're still giving 2Player Productions a percentage of sales.

 

[toro]

So they're probably going to sell this at $40ish retail.

I think they're aiming at a sub-$20 price point for the final game (I wouldn't be surprised by $14.99, like The Cave).
They've got some crazy math, in which they're tacking on money for the bundled documentary (~$15), backer-forum access (~$10), and who knows what else -- to arrive at that $35 figure. I guess that could change if enough people perceive the game to be worth $35, maybe that's what they're trying to do.

Up to a couple of months ago they were still offering this same backer package for $15 (which was the Kickstarter rate on that stuff). They're still giving 2Player Productions a percentage of sales.

Metro is right. The current pre-order price for Broken Age is 35$ from The Humble Bundle, hence the final price will be 40$+ at retail.

 

[jfrisby]

Metro is right. The current pre-order price for Broken Age is 35$ from The Humble Bundle, hence the final price will be 40$+ at retail.

But when the time comes to actually release Broken Age they'll un-bundle the documentary and other add-ons and sell them separately. Don't let anyone tell you $35 is a deal, it's a trick to sell the documentary. Actual game price will be lower.

 

[toro]

Metro is right. The current pre-order price for Broken Age is 35$ from The Humble Bundle, hence the final price will be 40$+ at retail.

But when the time comes to actually release Broken Age they'll un-bundle the documentary and other add-ons and sell them separately. Don't let anyone tell you $35 is a deal, it's a trick to sell the documentary. Actual game price will be lower.

Yes, I did not see the documentary line.

 

[GhostBadger]

Don't these types of games always struggle to win over people at first?

I remember someone saying that the game Beyond Good and Evil failed because people saw the pig man and dismissed it. (I haven't played it myself)

I thought the art style was great in BG&E. It was the button-mashing twitchy arcade shit that put me off. Just saying.

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[tuluse]

New art released today. This is the space ship interior.

Spoiler

 

[bertram_tung]

Not bad.

 

[jfrisby]

 

[Blackthorne]

I do find it interesting that Indie Fund gave 800k to Double Fine. I think they're a great studio, but they are doing GREAT with Kickstater AND getting venture capitalists to invest in them.

That 800k could have been been given to several smaller studios who could have really made some magic with it.


Bt

 

[jfrisby]

That 800k could have been been given to several smaller studios who could have really made some magic with it.

Not to mention that the Indie Fund loan agreement on their site requires 200% repayment [$1.6mil], which is kinda a shit way to blow the Kickstarter money (or at least cut revenues of these games, so they can continue this cycle).

 

[evdk]

That 800k could have been been given to several smaller studios who could have really made some magic with it.

Not to mention that the Indie Fund loan agreement on their site requires 200% repayment [$1.6mil], which is kinda a shit way to blow the Kickstarter money (or at least cut revenues of these games, so they can continue this cycle).

Is that even legal?
(OK, obviously it would be, or they would not be advertising it, but you'd have to be either really desperate or absolutely sure that your project will sell like hotcakes to take it)

 

[tuluse]

Is that even legal?
(OK, obviously it would be, or they would not be advertising it, but you'd have to be either really desperate or absolutely sure that your project will sell like hotcakes to take it)

From the site:

Repayment – Once the game is released, you first pay back the investment and then share 25%of the revenue, until we double the initial investment, or until 2 years after the initial launch date, whichever comes first.

http://indie-fund.com/about/

 

[Blackthorne]

Well, you'd have to hope they did good sales outside of the Kickstarter. We don't even KNOW yet, because we haven't seen this happen yet - how a game (from a studio with as much clout and prominence as Double Fine) will sell after a Kickstarter. Is there much more of an audience, or did they all already jump in the ring yet? You know, you have to wonder.


Bt

 

[toro]

Repayment – Once the game is released, you first pay back the investment and then share 25%of the revenue, until we double the initial investment, or until 2 years after the initial launch date, whichever comes first.

http://indie-fund.com/about/

This is a scam.

 

[Alex]

Repayment – Once the game is released, you first pay back the investment and then share 25%of the revenue, until we double the initial investment, or until 2 years after the initial launch date, whichever comes first.

http://indie-fund.com/about/

This is a scam.

Pretty sure it is still much better than most publishing deals.

 

[J1M]

That 800k could have been been given to several smaller studios who could have really made some magic with it.

Not to mention that the Indie Fund loan agreement on their site requires 200% repayment [$1.6mil], which is kinda a shit way to blow the Kickstarter money (or at least cut revenues of these games, so they can continue this cycle).

Is that even legal?
(OK, obviously it would be, or they would not be advertising it, but you'd have to be either really desperate or absolutely sure that your project will sell like hotcakes to take it)

So basically Tim Schafer cut a cheque for $800k to one of his friends.

 

[Metro]

Eh, it's just a really really high interest rate loan which is understandable considering the relative risk of the investment.

 

[Blackthorne]

Yeah - they're looking to bring their fund up to 1.6 million - which would be fine for other smaller studios, but I don't think they'll suddenly be like "WELL. WE MADE A MILLION. LET'S GO BACK TO GIVING IT TO SMALLER PROJECTS THAT MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GIVE US AN ROI LIKE THAT."


Bt

 

[mindx2]

Yeah - they're looking to bring their fund up to 1.6 million - which would be fine for other smaller studios, but I don't think they'll suddenly be like "WELL. WE MADE A MILLION. LET'S GO BACK TO GIVING IT TO SMALLER PROJECTS THAT MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GIVE US AN ROI LIKE THAT."


Bt

Well, regardless to their "pedigree" or loan-sharking Blackthorne, your game is the one I'm most looking forward to, as far as adventure games go.

 

[toro]

Repayment – Once the game is released, you first pay back the investment and then share 25%of the revenue, until we double the initial investment, or until 2 years after the initial launch date, whichever comes first.

http://indie-fund.com/about/

This is a scam.

Pretty sure it is still much better than most publishing deals.

Pretty sure is not.

A publisher would completely fund the game development and an advertisement campaign, it would enforce some accountability and most likely would pay royalties on each piece sold after he is recuperating the invested money.
Also it would most definitely try to get the IP or mess with it, but that's not a risk in this case cause there is no great quality IP to be ruined.

And what do we have here: "Once the game is released, you first pay back the investment and then share 25%of the revenue, until we double the initial investment, or until 2 years after the initial launch date, whichever comes first"
Take a credit from a bank at a rate of 5% per year and it would take 15 years for that debt to double itself.
Take a credit from a bank at a rate of 10% per year and it would take 8 years for that debt to double itself.
Take a credit from Indie Fund Loan (pseudo-sharks) and that the debt doubles in an instant.

This is a loan-shark type of contract or a sub-prime type of lending which usually ends in someone loosing a lot of money.
If the game has no profit, the Indie Fund Loan can go fuck itself (*including Tim). If the game is successful, Tim can go fuck himself.

Even a publisher is preferable to this kind of retarded shit.

 

[tuluse]

Lets do some math. You need 1 million to make your game, lets see how much the developer makes if the game makes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 million in revenue with Indie-Fund.

1 million - you pay back the fund and got to make your game.
2 million - you pay back the fund plus 250k, you net 750k.
3 million - you pay back the fund plus 500k, you net 1.5 million.
4 million - you pay back the fund plus 750k, you net 2.25 million.
5 million - you pay back the fund double, you net 3 million.

Now lets look at a publishing deal where you earn 25% royalties on gross revenue (from what I know, I believe this to be an extremely generous contract compared to real publishing deals).

1 million - you've paid back 250k of the original investment, you still owe 750k from any future revenue
2 million - you've paid back 500k of the original investment, you still owe 500k from any future revenue
3 million - you've paid back 750k of the original investment, you still owe 250k from any future revenue
4 million - you've paid back the original investment
5 million - you've paid back the original investment, and earned 250k from royalties, just 3 more deals like this and you can pay for your own game!