How do kickstarter projects with 20-40k make a game

I am working on my first game which will be a platformer for the WiiU and maybe steam. Right now I am making a prototype while I learn the ropes of Unity and C# and working on my Game Design Document.

For funding I would have to resort to kickstarter since I don't have that much money to spare after bills. On kick starter I see a lot of games on asking for 10-40k of funding and I am wondering how they can make a game with a small team for that little.

Are they only paying them a little bit and a share of revenue? If so how much is reasonable for the different roles in the team. I think my team will be developer (me), writer, composer, 2d/gui artist.

 

I think the idea is that the low asking amount will encourage people to back it.

 

Also that likely isn't the entire budget for the game - there will be sales after the game is released as well.

 

That makes since but even when they make over they still usualy make around that much. It's rare to make more than 40k from what I have seen.

 

Kickstarter isn't used to fund the game entirely. People are going in the red and self funding, and using kickstarter as that extra boost to get them to a releasable state, then hoping to break even again with revenue from the game. You should get a solid working prototype, with some art and music already done, before you even go to kickstarter (which is now kick-finisher, in my mind). Then you get enough to pay your team a minimal living wage for the remainder of the development time, and hopefully gain back the rest via game income. Also, kickstarter doesnt pay you if you dont make your goal, so aiming low can be a good thing.

 

Then how do they get the money to hire the people? Are they getting investors outside of kickstarter or is it common to share the revenues? In watch case how much do people expect? 10% 30%?

 

Investors, loans, credit cards, etc. Revenue share is also a possibility, but it depends on many circumstances.

 

I plan on doing a good prototype and think I could afford to pay for music but I only have $200 to spare every month which is not enough to get a 2d artist right?

I figured I would have to make a prototype with cheap music and graphics and do kickstarter to redo the music + graphics

 

Is there a document or guide out there on ways people fund indie games?

I have credit so I could probably get some loans if needed but I would probably only get 10k or so with how much I make.

 

Art before music then, you can show screens and videos with other music overlaying pretty easily. Unless you've got a wildly awesome gameplay concept, its going to difficult to get crowdfunding without decent art. That doesn't mean it needs to be ultra HD photorealistic, but something consistent and fun.

You can try motivating artists to help out with a solid prototype in collaboration.

 

Good point. I wont do music until art is done and I plan on making a metroidvania style platformer. Ill probably post a rough GDD on the forums to get peoples input in a few weeks.

Is it common to do collaboration for prototype but then hire for the real thing?

I thought I couldn't post in collaboration if I plan on making a game that I will sell.

 

You can definitely post in Collaboration for a game you plan on selling.

 

Sweat! then ill try my best to get the first prototype (basic mechanics) with a rough GDD done this weekend.

 

"Collaboration" isn't referring to the forum here in particular. It just means "working with other people".

For plenty of games being developed by a team the whole team is behind the game. So it's not one person struggling to somehow pay the others properly, it's a number of people all going without pay for the duration. The KS funding is meant to make that easier and/or help them buy/hire in whatever they can't do themselves.

 

What do you think is the best way to get artist/composers for a project like that?

 

I imagine you'd need a pre-existing, close working relationship with everyone involved, and come to the decision to start your own thing as a group.

 

Where have you seen that?

 

Personal observation nothing legit. When I browsed successful game projects on kickstarter I didn't see that many that raised more than 40k.

 

Oh you're talking about the funds raised on KickStarter. I was mistaken and thought you were talking about the money raised by the game after getting funded and released.

 

Often people ask for money to finish the game not create the whole game.

 

You have to also realise that sometimes the answer to "How Do I Do This?" is "You Don't". If you aren't able to raise the money (via Kickstarter etc) and you're not able to afford it out of your own pocket, you may have to concede that your project is too ambitious and work on a smaller scale project as a stepping stone to getting where you need to be. I've been in this situation myself - always self funding my games. The first cost maybe $500 out of my own pocket, the next maybe $2500, the next $5000, and my current project - approx. $10000. Each time I can afford to make a more expensive game out of money made from the previous game(s). Sometimes that's the best way to go

 

This is what I was planning on doing. I don't know how much it cost to make a game but I suspected what I saw on kickstarter wast the whole cost.

I am not sure if my plans are too ambitious. Ill probably have a better idea once I start talking to some artist about how much they will want. I read a few articles about incubators and would be willing to get a business loan or an investor if I could. I wouldn't attempt that until I have a prototype done.

This is getting a little off topic but how much would an artist expect to make the all the graphics for a platformer prototype? I am thinking menus, 1-3 levels. Style wise I learn towards something like Mario or more recent Castlevania games.

 

I think people ask for low amounts because they hate the idea of getting to 50k funding and still falling short of the goal thus not being able to keep that money. They dont really care if its no where near enough they just want to keep the money. That's my cynical speculation. I think most kickstarters that make it to shipping had additional funding beyond kickstarter from the get go. Some devs dont need the money at all and are using kickstarter as a marketing tool, or to gauge interest or possibly offload risking capital.

 

Kickstarter does not allow you to browse failed Kickstarer funding requests. The ratio is lopsided with failures getting the best of it by far.

Kickstarter is advertising falsely presented as fundraising. Unless you are a big business or someone considered an industry insider, use Kickstarter to try and get interest in a game you have already 9/10ths completed and you actually like playing. Which is what they are using Kickstarter for really (except they probably don't actually like playing the games they create).

You can build a nice and original looking game in Unity for less than $300 wisely spent in the asset store if you own your PC or Mac already. Ain't nobody giving you $40K to find that out.

 

You can't blame Kickstarter entirely. A fair portion of the blame lies with those who put up projects, acquire the necessary funding, and then fail to produce anything. When it happens with those who should know better it starts becoming worrisome.

I do blame Kickstarter though for their very limited assistance with handling the process of recover funds from those who fail. Crowdfunding companies need to provide better assistance with this even if it means suing those projects themselves.

I have no idea if this is even feasible for them to do though.

 

> On kick starter I see a lot of games on asking for 10-40k of funding and I am wondering how they can make a game with a small team for that little.


The business owner usually outsource to the Philippines (i.e., companies like us) and then delegate everything to the developers, 2D artists, 3D artists overseas.

 

Can someone give examples for smaller budgeted games being funded on KS? I'm talking about mobile level stuff, not something big. I always thought KS funders aren't too keen to support a "simple mobile game".

BTW, yamiko. Can you tell us a little about your game? How would you describe it in a sentence or two? What is the scope? Can it be considered as a "big" or "small" game?

 

From what I saw, mobile games usually don't get funded on KS. Since the game will probably be free? What's the investor to gain?

 

If the game has IAP then they might get some credit towards those.

 

Shirts, statues, signed merch, lunches with developers...

I suspect that mobile games are harder to fund because people value them less.