DarthParametric Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 EDIT: Seeing as Double Fine's success has apparently sparked a bit of interest in the crowdsourced funding idea, I've decided to broaden the scope of the thread to encompass the other projects that have spun off in its wake. In the event that they reach fruition as fully fledged projects of any merit, they can perhaps be split off into their own threads by a mod if deemed necessary. PROJECT 1: DOUBLE FINE ADVENTURE (DOUBLE FINE/TIM SCHAFER) As I am sure some of you have heard, Double Fine have caused a bit of stir in the last day or two by crowdsourcing the funding for a new point and click adventure game via Kickstarter. The move seems to have been extremely successful, given that the project reached its funding goal of $400,000 in a mere 8 hours and has gone on to accrue over $1mil in the first day (with another month still to run). No word on what the game will actually entail as yet. For $15 you get a copy of the game on Steam when it is finished, access to a beta copy, access to a restricted forum, and access to a documentary series being made on the game's production process. If you are made of money, you can score dinner with Tim Schafer for a mere $15,000 (or dinner and bowling for $20,000), or become an in-game character for $50,000. And if you are really loaded, $150,000 scores you one of Tim Schafer's 4 remaining Triangle-Boxed Day of the Tentacles in the original shrink wrap. Tim Schafer suggested on Twitter that if the amount hits $20mil they'll use that to also help fund Psychonauts 2 (which Minecraft's Notch is apparently in talks with them to help get off the ground). The Kickstarter page is here - [youtube=hd] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pSteVDn78s PROJECT 2: WASTELAND 2 (INXILE ENTERTAINMENT/BRIAN FARGO) For those of you unfamiliar with it, Wasteland was Interplay's original post-apocalyptic RPG way back in 1988. At that point, Interplay was a developer only and publishing was handled by EA, who ended up owning the rights to the game. Nigh on a decade later, Interplay decided to develop a series of new games based around Steve Jackson's GURPS pen and paper RPG ruleset. The first of these was intended to be a sequel to Wasteland. However, EA still owned the IP rights, and refused to sell them back (there had been a spat between Interplay and EA after Interplay moved into self-publishing their own titles). Long story short, Fallout was born as the spiritual successor to Wasteland. Fast forward many years to 2003. Brian Fargo, the founder of Interplay who left after a buyout and started inXile Entertainment, manages to require the Wasteland IP rights. Fast forward again to 2012, and with the success of Tim Schafer's Kickstarter project, Fargo announces he will launch a Kickstarter-funded Wasteland 2 project some time in March, after failing to secure publisher backing for the project over the last few years. Details are still sparse, but Fargo has promised an isometric turn-based party RPG in the spirit of the original game. PROJECT 3: TBA (OBSIDIAN ENTERTAINMENT/CHRIS AVELLONE) A day or two after Double Fine's Kickstarter project went live, the instant success it generated prompted several comments from Chris Avellone via his Twitter feed, musing on the possibilities of a similar project. This prompted immediate reaction from fans, and subsequently he posted a blog entry on the Obsidian website asking for feedback on what fans would like to see if Obsidian pursued the idea. The results have now apparently been compiled, with the leading contenders being a Planescape: Torment sequel/spiritual successor or some other sort of isometric turn-based/real-time with pause RPG. Given IP restrictions/costs, it's highly unlikely an actual Torment sequel (or any other D&D property) would be on the cards, but some sort of TB/RTwP RPG in the Infinity engine style (i.e. Torment, Baldur's Gate 1/2, Icewind Dale 1/2) seems a logical choice. There is still no official confirmation that this will actually amount to anything, but given the comments by Avellone and the fan response it would seem fair to say that this has at least moved beyond just a throwaway comment to something being given serious consideration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obi-Wan Bologna Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 This will be awesome no doubt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted February 11, 2012 Author Share Posted February 11, 2012 On a semi-related note, fired up by the success of Double Fine, Obsidian's Chris Avellone has asked for expressions of interest and suggestions if they were to pursue a similar player-funded development initiative. Obviously nothing is promised at this stage, but if enough people push them for it you never know what might happen. So jump over to their site and beg for an old school turn-based isometric RPG - http://forums.obsidian.net/blog/1/entry-158-if-obsidian-kickstarter/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabretooth Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 ...success of Double Fine, Obsidian's Chris Avellone...similar player-funded development initiative... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 Heh, got some sort of MCA mention auto-alert I gather? I'm actually surprised the Codex hasn't been all over this. Sounds like their dream project, seeing how much they constantly fap over/to him. Back on topic, Double Fine's Kickstarter has surpassed 1.6mil as I write this, with over 45,000 backers (average pledge is about $35.50). The pledge rate has definitely dropped off somewhat from the first crazy 12-24 hours, but there is still 30 days to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3sd0 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Maybe some other companies will like this and make a Kotor 3 with this sort of base... Can't be too hopeful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexrd Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Alert all commands when LucasArts decides to do a kickstart project. P.S: I want that Grim Fandango coffin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Can't be too hopeful.Actually you can be. This sort of thing is for devs trying to avoid publisher control. You are never going to see something like this using well known IP, unless the devs themselves actually own that IP (which is extremely rare), as licensing the IP would consume a significant proportion of the funds raised and open them up to exactly the same outside control that publishers exert. That would defeat the entire purpose of the exercise. EDIT: Update from Tim Schafer on additional features the current funding level allows. They are over 1.8mil at the time of writing. [youtube=hd]TFKwplDBmgg And in the same vein as the murmurings from MCA, Brian Fargo has now suggested that crowdsourced funding might make Wasteland 2 a viable prospect - http://au.pc.ign.com/articles/121/1218794p1.html In further semi-related news, Notch has posted an update on his blog about the whole Psychonauts 2 thing - http://notch.tumblr.com/post/17681692985/hype Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 Given all the talk about other Kickstarter projects, I've updated the first post to broaden the scope beyond just the Double Fine project. Project updates: The Double Fine project is now nudging 2mil. Should break through that barrier in the next couple of days. Tim Schafer posted a video update, which I embedded in the previous post. Brian Fargo announced that he has recruited Michael A. Stackpole to be a developer on Wasteland 2. Stackpole was the systems designer for the original Wasteland. For those that don't know him, Stackpole is probably most famous for his work as a Star Wars expanded universe author. He wrote the first half of the X-Wing series, the two Dark Tide novels (New Jedi Order series) and I, Jedi (the only SW novel written in first person). He created the characters Corran Horn and Jagged Fel (as well as his father Soontir Fel). Chris Avellone posted a new blog entry detailing the responses to his initial request for ideas. It seems that a Torment sequel/spiritual successor is most popular, followed by a generic isometric turn-based RPG. More details here - http://forums.obsidian.net/blog/1/entry-159-initial-kickstarter-responses/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabretooth Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 And in the same vein as the murmurings from MCA, Brian Fargo has now suggested that crowdsourced funding might make Wasteland 2 a viable prospect - http://au.pc.ign.com/articles/121/1218794p1.html I like how 'Wasteland 2' is code for 'The Real Fallout 3' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 To an extent I guess that's pretty much the case. There are a lot of Fallout fans (myself included) that weren't happy with FO3 and NV, and no doubt these people will make up a fairly reasonable portion of the contributors Fargo is targeting for the Kickstarter project. There are obviously also a group of Wasteland fans that want to see a proper sequel, and no doubt a lot of overlap between both groups. And then there will be people that just want to see a good iso TB RPG, whatever that may be. Presumably these people will also be contributing to Avellone's project, in the event it materialises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted February 27, 2012 Author Share Posted February 27, 2012 A couple of interviews with Fargo by the hardcore crowd about Wasteland 2: http://www.nma-fallout.com/article.php?id=60856 http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=8005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 So two doses of Kickstarter news: Double Fine's has closed, garnering a total of $3.3mil. Quite a healthy sum considering they originally only asked for $400,000. The Wasteland 2 Kickstarter is now live and available here. Seems to be off to a flying start, nabbing $500K in short order. Edit: W2 has passed $900K, meeting the target goal in under 48 hours. Nice job internet. Now all that remains to be seen is if it can beat Schafer's $3mil in the month it has left to run. Surely Avellone and Obsidian must be getting close to jumping in at this point. Edit2: The Banner Saga has also started a Kickstarter, for the very modest sum of $100,000. They are already well on their way, closing in on $70,000 after the first day. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stoic/the-banner-saga Wasteland 2 is now up to $1.4mil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted March 30, 2012 Author Share Posted March 30, 2012 Breaking news. Fargo has announced that if the Wasteland Kickstarter tops 2.1mil, Obsidian will jump onboard to co-design the game. So all you MCA lovers, time to dust off your wallets. You have 17 days to add another half a mil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabretooth Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 It really breaks my heart to imagine how hard Obsidian's brass had to beg Fargo for this. >_> Edit: On second thought, no, it doesn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted March 30, 2012 Author Share Posted March 30, 2012 I'd say it's more pity from Fargo than Obsidian begging for a hand-out. He knows they are in a tight spot at the moment and even though it isn't much, half a mil for minimal effort on the part of Avellone, Cain, Sawyer and co. might help them get their own Kickstarter under way, or help get the SP game out the door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I wonder how things will split once the game is complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 Maybe they'll get a bonus if it reaches a Metacritic rating of 85.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted April 7, 2012 Author Share Posted April 7, 2012 So, Kickstarter projects are springing up like mushrooms. Of the recent batch, the one that caught my eye was the Shadowrun Returns one. I'm still debating whether or not to pledge to this one, seeing as it seems a bit too tablet/phone-oriented for my tastes, but we'll see what further information is forthcoming in the next few weeks. They hit their target goal of $400K in just 28 hours, so they are funded. At the time of writing they have passed $600K. An update on Wasteland 2. They have passed $2.1 mil, so that means Chris Avellone will now jump on board to help out with design. There are 11 days to go, so my bet will be they will end up somewhere around the $3 mil mark, assuming they get the same sort of last minute spurt that Double Fine did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miltiades Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 It's quite hard to keep track of all the Kickstarter projects these days, but it seems there's a crowd for almost every game that's being started in this manner. Nice. I myself don't have the money to start donating for projects of which I don't know the end results, but I'm glad many people are willing to do this. I'm sure some of these projects will get my money eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Kickstarter is such a great idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabretooth Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Wow, even Jane Jensen has a Kickstarter now, for three potential projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share Posted April 12, 2012 I can foresee Kickstarter putting a serious dent in my wallet in the coming year. I just upped my Wasteland 2 pledge to $55 for the international digital package and my Banner Saga pledge to $50 to get the planned 3 games in the series. Now I'm eyeing off Shadowrun Returns... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 Just under 24 hours until the Wasteland 2 Kickstarter finishes. If you are at all interested, you might want to take a punt before it ends, as Fargo has indicated that the retail price once the game is released will be more than the $15 you can secure a copy for now. The $30 tier has also been beefed up to offer a second copy for those that want it on multiple platforms (it's also coming on Linux/Mac) as well as a few other bits and pieces. Edit: The Wasteland 2 Kickstarter has finished. They got to $2,933,147, plus an additional $107,502 via PayPal, for a grand total of $3,040,649. Quite an achievement, although sadly they fell just short of beating Double Fine's record. Once Kickstarter and Amazon take their cut, they should be left with about $2.74mil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthParametric Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 Xenonauts, an X-COM clone (and I say that in the nicest possible way - it's a good thing), now has a Kickstarter. They are already a few years into production, and have funded themselves to date with loans and pre-order sales. The KS is to polish it up, add some extra features, and get it out the door quicker. After a day they are at $32K of their 50K goal. Seems likely they'll net a few hundred grand over the ensuing month. For any fan of the original, this is a nice compliment to the Firaxis's "reimagined" XCOM: Enemy Unknown and 2K's horrible FPS (assuming that ever resurfaces). EDIT - From official update #2: "We've officially hit 100% funding, having raised $50,000 in 56 hours! The response to our Kickstarter has been astonishing, so we'd again like to thank everyone who has backed us or spread the word! To put things in perspective, that's roughly half of all the pre-order revenue we've taken over the past 18 months of development...raised in barely more than two days!" /posts/224998 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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