Has anyone used Kickstarter/Indiegogo?

[Jae]

Hi guys,

I don't have a lot to show at the moment, but I'm currently working with artists on asset creations (lots of assets) and I started thinking if using Kickstarter or Indiegogo would be a legitimate way to pay these guys.

I'm working on a completely fan-made, free-to-play, not-for-profit Pokemon game. Obviously everything is coming out of our own pockets right now. Has anyone had experience using Kickstarter/Indiegogo for their projects?

Edit: I should probably have placed this in the "WIP" section and provide more details there.

[Amecha]

I've never done one personally but I do know that unless you have assets to show you likely wont get as much attention as you would like. Also its best to start one after you already have a project under your belt. People will be more inclined to donate if you can prove you can get a project done.
Speaking from a potential donator perspective I wouldn't donate to a project that didn't:
have a team leader that had already produced something. Even something small, but I'd be much more inclined to donate to someone with one or two projects, or at least one substantial project.
already have a very clear cut idea of what it planned to do. Or even a demo. Even if that demo was just the actual text on crude stick figures and tacky picture backgrounds.
have a very comprehensive, clear cut, and reasonably tight schedule/development road map.

If you do have a previous project you can show, and plan to have a demo out by the time the kickstarter is started or shortly after, I don't think there would be any harm in trying at that point. I know you'll need to do a LOT of advertisement if you want it to succeed though.

If your absolutely certain you'll see this project to the end come hell or high waters a kickstarter/indigogo can only be a potential benefit. But then again I've never done it, so do take my word with a grain of salt.

[Jae]

Thanks for the input!

As always projects don't have any real guarantees. I'm actually thinking more along the lines of waiting until the game is near completion and use a Kickstarter as a means to kind of reimburse the creators. Again, because the game's meant to be not-for-profit, etc. given that it's completely fan-created.

Hopefully a mod can move this to the WIP section. Maybe I can share some early alpha, alpha, alpha material.

[Amecha]

Hmm, I'm not sure how that would go, but you would definitely help easy any doubt of the project being finished, but at that point would it be worth it to donate to the project?

There is another website called patreon that might be better suited for what you have in mind. There is no project requirement and no minimum donated amount. Instead people donate directly to you monthly/bi-weekly/weekly with little* expectation to receive something in return. I've seen it mostly used among artists as a way of letting their fans supplement their income to allow the artist more time and freedom to work on their own projects as opposed to subsidizing their income with commissions (which take up a vast amount of our art dedicated time). They have a section for games and other projects. Also there is no amount you need to receive to get your money, anything donated is yours.
*Typically there are tiers of donation which offer some reward. (Getting the game for free on launch/getting to see some of the development/sneak peeks/early access/etc.)
^Ignore this if you already know what patreon is.

This might be much better suited for what your looking to do, as indigogo and kickstarter are more designed as a way to fund a project and if it doesn't get funded it doesn't get made. (In fact I think a lot of VN developers might benefit from turning to patreon.)

[Jae]

The thing about Patreon is that I'm not sure how well that would go if you don't have a pool of supporters/followers already. Essentially people will be donating or looking at a completely random stranger.

I have my share of followers for YouTube (gaming channel completely unrelated to visual novels, programming, etc.) so the audience doesn't match up here.

I'll have to take a closer look. I do know the audience should be there, it's just the matter of when and how this could be executed.

If it's the Patreon route... I might be able to try going the YouTube route and blasting social media and related communities to garner support. That might be another way to tackle it.

[papillon]

If you're making an actual POKEMON game as opposed to 'a game where you train monsters' you're going to run into problems with your fundraising, either way.

[Amecha]

Yeah that is one of the major flaws, building up a fanbase. The upside to it I think is that you can start one of these things, no risk and just let it build over time. As you spend time developing, sharing your ideas and progression, and building up what should be the fanbase for your game you'll also snag potential donators as well. I'm sure you'll be trying to get attention to the game anyways, and it could double over for you.

Of course its just an idea. Do whatever works best for you.

[Jae]

If you're making an actual POKEMON game as opposed to 'a game where you train monsters' you're going to run into problems with your fundraising, either way.

More on the lines of slice-of-life and plot-driven writing.

And yeah, that's a big part of it. Since the material is copyrighted, that's why I'm emphasizing "not for profit."

If that's no good, I'll probably look into Patreon then and go the standard "support me for the nice content creation" route.

[papillon]

You can't use kickstarter, etc for a fangame unless you have permission from the copyright holder, yeah. They seem to be accepted on patreon as long as it's clearly nonprofit, but the law is still pretty fuzzy about this sort of thing, and a cease&desist may still be possible.

[Jae]

Mmm, good to know. Thanks!

I've done a lot of fan work based on video games before and so far my experience has been fulfilling and without issues. Then again, those were all mostly gameplay or creative videos so they're all good publicity.

It makes sense for Kickstarter to not allow projects like these. I'll keep this in mind as I explore more options.

[firecat]

If you're making an actual POKEMON game as opposed to 'a game where you train monsters' you're going to run into problems with your fundraising, either way.

More on the lines of slice-of-life and plot-driven writing.

And yeah, that's a big part of it. Since the material is copyrighted, that's why I'm emphasizing "not for profit."

If that's no good, I'll probably look into Patreon then and go the standard "support me for the nice content creation" route.

you could make a pokemon game with that but one major difference is that you cant use any loveable pokemon that everyone knows. this means that you have to convince people to like ->your version<- of pokemon. that also includes new villeins and new areas, thats right you cant even use the already made areas from pokemon. this is what every fan-faction writer must do to avoid copyright strikes, you could say its kinda like youtube.

[PyTom]

IANAL, but:

You can't use the name pokemon, the name of all pokemon, pokemon characters, etc - at least not with permission from Nintendo. Those are all trademarked, and I'm pretty sure KS will take your project down if the trademark holder complains.

For example, that's probably what happened here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/17 ... -adventure


Basically, if you want to collect money, you pretty much have to come up with your own project.

[Jae]

Right, I think that much is clear now. Kickstarter/Indiegogo out the window.

So if anything, this will be created with our own blood, sweat and tears and optional support from people who do want to help if it ever comes down to that.

[SundownKid]

Anyone could say that they are raising money for a non profit game, but in Kickstarter there are no guarantees whether they are really telling the truth. If copyrighted fangames were allowed on Kickstarter it would be a simple matter to piggyback off the popularity of said games and then pocket some of the money with no one being the wiser. That's why only original IP is allowed, you have to convince people it will be a worthwhile investment yourself.

[Shakezula]

What you could do is release the project for free, and then open a patreon or something similar as an indirectly related tip jar. But yeah, considering how hard Nintendo cracked down on game boy advance rom files, you'd be better off just doing a Pokemon influenced game regardless.