Crowdfunding Concerns Should We Keep Funding Kickstarter Games

Crowdfunding Concerns: Should We Keep Funding Kickstarter Games?

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Kickstarter games are under renewed scrutiny thanks to some big-named disappointments like Peter Molyneux’s ‘Godus.’ But do big failures mean the system is broken?

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Crowdfunding Concerns Should We Keep Funding Kickstarter Games

Kickstarter has done a lot of great things for the gaming industry; it provides the space and capability for indie developers to create their dream projects. Thanks to crowdfunding, these Kickstarter games are backed by fans rather than big publishers, thus granting devs more freedom. This arrangement also gives fans the ability to support the games they’re most excited about rather than having to buy the same five AAA franchises.

But, Kickstarter isn’t without its downsides. According to its FAQ, Kickstarter can’t be held responsible for projects that fall through; this puts the backers in a relationship of trust with the developers. The most Kickstarter does is to offer a guide for creators on its Terms of Use that outlines how to assure backers that they will meet their goal, or, if they fail, what can be done to fix it.

As the FAQ points out, Kickstarter isn’t a store— backers aren’t paying for a finished product, but rather providing the finances to help a project happen. According to critics, that gray area leaves far too much room for creators to take advantage of backers. Should creators be held to a higher standard by both Kickstarter and the backers that fund them? Are a few poorly run Kickstarters a sign that we should stop crowdfunding games altogether?

Godus Shows The Disastrous Downside to Kickstarter Games

Peter Molyneux’s Godus is one of the many reasons people critique crowdfunding. The first controversy involved the fact that an established, successful game developer like Molyneux was using the crowdfunding platform at all. Many critics claimed that, given the money he’d made working for Microsoft, crowdfunding was unnecessary. While there’s some truth to that claim—Kickstarter is generally thought of as a platform for lesser-known devs to fund their work—crowdfunding also gave Molyneux and 22Cans the freedom to pursue their vision without the restrictions that come from traditional publishing, as well as allowing the team to gauge public interest in the idea.

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The game easily surpassed its fundraising goal, but, from there, things fell apart. Two years later, and promises have been left unfulfilled, the game is still in early access, and many features are missing. Molyneux has admitted that this is largely due to his overpromising, but critics believe that ‘under-delivering’ is a more apt description. Backers funded the project with the belief that multiplayer and a Linux port would be available though neither are included, and the downsized 22Cans team has backers wondering if it will ever happen at all.

If Peter Molyneux, a superstar in the world of game development, can’t deliver on a Kickstarter game, and only a third of Kickstarter games ever get made at all, what reason is there to continue supporting them?

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Page 2: Kickstarter Games & Delayes

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For Kickstarter Games, Setbacks Don’t Always Mean Disasters

Molyneux isn’t the only developer to face ire from gamers after a shaky delivery. Tim Schafer, legendary dev who worked on games like Grim Fandango and The Secret of Monkey Island, faced criticism when Broken Age was released in sections rather than as a complete package due to going over budget, despite raising over $3 million in the crowdfunding campaign.

It’s important to realize that as budgets increase, so do the creators’ aspirations. Creators often pitch the game at the level they think they can raise, so the $300,000 vision for Broken Age may have been quite different from the $3 million version. And while that doesn’t excuse going over budget, it’s also important to realize that the game has been incredibly well-received. So, while the wait was long and frustrating for those who backed the project, it ultimately produced a great game.

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Shovel Knight is another great example of the power of crowdfunding—unlike the previous two examples, this game was pioneered by indie developers without established bragging rights. Shovel Knight is the first game by Yacht Club Games, and while it was delayed, it was also well-received upon release.

Compare and contrast those experiences to, say, Assassin’s Creed: Unity. At launch, the game was a mess of glitches and game-breaking bugs. Customers who preordered their games had no idea what they were getting into thanks to a review embargo. All in all, it was a disastrous release, and while that isn’t the standard for AAA releases, it’s evidence that traditional publishing methods also don’t guarantee a flawless game.

Weighing Possibility Against Product

The games industry is a business like any other, meaning that there are going to be greedy creators, overpromising, and under-delivering. The opportunity for these setbacks if ample in crowdfunding because once the money is handed over, there’s no real obligation on the part of the creator to finish the project.

There’s still a lot of potential in Kickstarter games. Watching independent developers take risks and work outside of the traditional publishing structure is great for the games industry, and letting gamers support these new and exciting games encourages more diversity in the market.

That being said, there’s no harm in being wary. When backing Kickstarter games, remember that you’re not paying for the game. You’re throwing money at an idea, not a product, and while people who manipulate the system should be criticized for it, that’s a flaw in people, not the system.

Kickstarter is a great platform for supporting indie devs, but, as consumers, we have to be careful. Support people and projects you trust, particularly if they already have work to show. Don’t be taken in by flash and fancy promises, and question why big names need the boost of crowdfunding—not everybody is out to trick gamers, but, with negative examples abound, it doesn’t hurt to be a little wary.

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