HOW TO TACKLE AN INDIE GAME
KICKSTARTER
Claudia Doppioslash
@doppioslash
http://gplus.to/gattoclaudia
http://blog.doppioslash.com
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
US:
- To be a permanent US resident with a Social Security Number (or EIN).
- To have a US address, US bank account, and US state-issued ID.
- You have a major US credit or debit card.
-
You are 18 years of age or older.
FEES AND COSTS
-
5% goes to Kickstarter
-
3-5% payment processing fees
-
1-2% VAT fees
-
3% in failed pledge payments (no stats available)
-
Costs of shipping/manufacturing the tangible rewards
WAITING TIMES
Before
a week may be taken up for approval by Kickstarter
( must comply with http://www.kickstarter.com/help/guidelines )
After
14 days may be needed to get the payment
THE BIGGEST HURDLE
it's right at the beginning:
getting the Kickstarter to spread.
Your biggest asset is your existing public.
MOTIVATIONS FOR BACKING
- Being a fan of the Kickstarter's author
( See Godus - Peter Molyneux, Elite - Braben, Tim Schafer )
2. original concept/twist never seen before
3. interesting human story (See Neverending Nightmares)
4. Art quality
5. The possibility to influence the game
GODUS
ELITE
TIM SCHAFER
NEVERENDING NIGHTMARES
Interesting human story
MOTIVATION ONE: AD AUCTORITATEM
Reach your public before the campaign.
How big is your reach?
Count:
- twitter followers
- facebook fans
- email subscriptions
- blog subscriptions
Got any famous friends that will plug you on twitter?
WHERE'S YOUR AUDIENCE?
Find where your public hangs out.
It could be forums, web sites, irc, groups on social networks.
Make contact, ask for opinions and make yourself useful.
That will avoid them seeing your later campaign as opportunistic spam.
People don't generally like if you just register to make one post where you spam your Kickstarter.
WHERE GAMERS HANG OUT
TOUCHARCADE
STEAM
COMMUNITY
A relevant side-effect of making a Kickstarter is that it builds a community of people who have invested in your game and care about the end result.
They're likely to be knowledgeable and their feedback can be helpful.
You need a FORUM, to be able to gather their feedback and to fuel their sense of community.
You get to add theme to your reach count.
ANECDOTE
Parallella was about to fail, but the generous support of its backers promoting the project in the last 48 hours saved it.
PLATFORM OF THE GAME FOR KICKSTARTER
Needs to:
-
be available to as many people as possible
-
be a market relevant on Kickstarter
iOS
Vita (by itself too small reach)
Steam/PC
( Adding a PC/Mac version saved Republique )
NO FREEMIUM!
So the ideal platform support/game type would be an original Steam(PC)/Vita/iOS game not freemium. Ouya is a possibility.
REPUBLIQUE
MOTIVATION TWO: ORIGINALITY
Have a unique concept/twist/art style.
Examples:
- Banner saga
- Sir, you're being hunted
- Death Inc
- Tangiers
BANNER SAGA
SIR, YOU'RE BEING HUNTED
DEATH INC
TANGIERS
LEXICON
REWARDS
what the people get for the money
FRONT PAGE
UPDATES
-
it’s how backers know you are still alive and haven’t made off with the money.
-
also how undecided people are reminded of your project
VIDEO
"Your backers are busy. If they're not intrigued by your project quickly, they leave. While most Kickstarter videos average around 6-10 minutes or longer, the million dollar earning Kickstarter projects had a median length of only 3 minutes 57 seconds. "
STRETCH GOALS
If you reach your goal they motivate people to keep pledging.
POPULAR REWARDS
- Artbooks
- Backstage ( see Godus )
- T-shirts
- Alpha/beta access
- Digital/Physical copy of the game
- Name in credits
GODUS BACKSTAGE
STEAM GREENLIGHT
- another opportunity to put the game in front of people
- having it both on Kickstarter and Greenlight maximises exposure
- needed to publish on Steam
TANGIERS
How to tackle an indie game Kickstarter
By Claudia Doppioslash
