For developers and consumers alike, it seems to be the best of both worlds as fans get to cut out publishers and demand directly from developers the content they want.
The Horn's Nick Todd tells you all about how Arkane Studio is making a big splash with this dystopian inspired first-person adventure title.
Apr 24, 2012
Photo courtesy Kickstarter
Video Games and Kickstarter: Now You're Playing With Power
The Horn's new video game connoisseur, Nick Todd, talks about the new direction that video games are headed in. Hint: With the company Kickstarter's new role, it's looking pretty good for players and fans of video games.
| Photo courtesy Kickstarter |
The video game industry has always been a medium of ups and downs. Ranging back to the boom of the original Nintendo Entertainment System, a machine that brought the industry back from the brink of crashing, to the current-day juggernauts of the Wii, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360, there have always been a few key players who are in control of what direction the industry takes and what content mainly gets pushed out to market.
We, the consumer, have never really had too much of a say in what actually gets put into production. We speak with our dollars of course, but oftentimes that only encourages publishers and developers to make sequels instead of fresh, original content.
Well, things may be changing on that front.
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With Double Fine Productions' launch of Kickstarter (the world's largest funding platform for creative projects) last March, it seems we the consumer may finally be able to tell developers what we want them to make outside of merely purchasing their products, but by actually supporting the development cycle itself.
For developers, it's a dream come true. Finally, through the endorsement of their fans, they can find a feasible way to create the dream projects they've had to shelve for years after fruitlessly pitching them to publishers (Wasteland 2 and Shadowrun Returns come to mind). These projects that companies like EA and Activision have claimed to be too much of a financial risk to actually push into production are finding new life through the fans who love both the developers and franchises that don't fit into the Call of Duty mold of today's biggest properties.
Tim Schafer thinking about the $3.25 million he made through Kickstarter within 30 days.
For developers and consumers alike, it seems to be the best of both worlds as fans get to cut out publishers and demand directly from developers the content they want.
And though publishers (such as EA and Activision) may have a need to be worried if they're financially cut out of the equation, consumers may have just as much to be afraid of. At the moment, funding a game through Kickstarter or similar means is new territory for the industry, but the drawbacks could end up being detrimental to a developer's reputation as well as the notion of a fan funding a similar project through Kickstarter ever again.
Potentially, one bad apple--or terrible game, or failed kickstarter project--could soil the whole bunch.
But there are some studios coming out of the woodworks with some serious potential in this newfound financial avenue. Ryan Payton (former producer on Metal Gear Solid 4 and Halo 4)'s studio, Camoflaj, just recently announced a new iOS project titled “Republique,” which aims to bring the quality of a home console experience to the iPad and iOS devices.
Ryan Payton's Republique aims to bring a console quality experience to the portable life style of iOS devices.
On top of that, and separate from his contemporaries, Camoflaj's “Republique” is actually in development with tangible proof of concept that players can get behind. Payton's project isn't just speaking to the imaginations of fans, but actually has something to show them to earn their investment besides good sentiment.
To say the least, the industry is headed in an interesting direction. With Apple's iPhone and iOS devices, developers were given the ability to circumvent publishers with the use of the App store, pushing a game to market without the financial support of a publisher. Now with projects like Kickstarter, developers can again circumvent the traditional system of funding to head toward exciting and new creative frontiers.
The only thing that fans have to wait for now is the long development cycle of getting the game they've helped fund through production and out the door. Hopefully for all parties involved--developers and consumers--everyone gets the game they've always wanted.
Nick Todd has been living in Austin for the last three years getting involved with whatever cool or interesting projects he can convince people to let him be a part of. Ranging from film, gaming, or most recently to editorial, anything is up for grabs if the content is interesting enough. Currently working for 1UP.com under the IGN umbrella, Nick likes to moonlight as a video game writer from time to time and get involved with film and video game festivals like the Alamo Drafthouse's Fantastic Fest and Fantastic Arcade. If you have any questions or just want to say hello, Nick can be reached at ntodd.1987@gmail.com
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