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Is Crowdfunding Good? - MMORPG.com
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Is Crowdfunding Good? - MMORPG.com
Red Thomas takes a second look at crowdfunding. He’s explored some of the problems with games using the crowd-funded model, now he looks at some of the reasons why it might be good for games and consumers.
Comments
P.S. This is actually a very interesting article, well worth a read, I ended up wondering if he had chosen the title?
So I guess the main point is to see if the project is reasonable not just in what they're trying to do but how much they're asking.
I am more dubious when it comes to crowdfunding for MMORPGs... Given their complexity, dev time, and cost. Too much can go wrong and the urge to greedly monetise more than necessary can lead to problems.
But, saying that, I have backed Pantheon, because the mainstream simply won't ever deliver me the mmorpg that I want to see. If I don't put my money down to show a market interest in what i want to see, I cannot complain when it isn't made. At this point I am very ok with the progress that they are showing, the game that I am seeing, and I am very happy with the customer/ dev interaction level.
I have followed crowdfunded games and they often end up making bad moves with their plans and finances... Star Citizen is the most well known example of bad moves especially considering their massive success with finances.
But there's always hope
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1523379957/oculus-rift-step-into-the-game
Sometimes you also wind up with indie gems like these God knows whether they would have seen the light of day otherwise:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doublefine/double-fines-massive-chalice
"The simple is the seal of the true and beauty is the splendor of truth" -Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Authored 139 missions in Vendetta Online and 6 tracks in Distance
The sense of entitlement players get when they contribute those amounts of money is exhibited within SotA. The inability of devs to do what's best for the project instead of continually promising the sky because their backers, who don't have any idea of the realities of software development or how easy or hard it is to implemented a given system, are cheering them on is exhibited by SC.
The backer projects that have successfully completed included reasonable scopes. But for every reasonably scoped MMORPG project, there's at least one that you could tell from the outset was making pie-in-the-sky promises because they have realized the lack of knowledge, expertise, or experience of the crowd in gauging the success chances of a given project or feature and know they can exploit that to great effect. In the end, it doesn't matter the devs' attitude in those situations, as the ends don't necessarily justify the means.
I can't call it a good thing because most crowdfunding games are either canceled, released in disappointing states, or are outright scams.
We currently have no evidence that crowdfunding works for MMOs. Star Citizen will release after the inevitable atom death of the universe with a future funding of 52 trillion dollars. CoE is running into typical crowdfunding development issues and looks incredibly unappealing. Ashes of Creation is too early in development to judge. Albion launched and is mediocre at best. SotA launched and is a bad joke.That basically leaves Crowfall and Camelot Unchained as the first contenders to possibly release in a satisfactory state.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
I did chose the title. Not one of my better ones, but it seems like no one gets the subtle humor in my more creative titles. Sometimes you get frustrated and just pencil-whip a couple.
Appreciate the compliment on the article, either way.
That positive alone outweighs all of the negatives and dishonest developers who have abused the crowdfunding system combined.
I'm not so sure about crowdfunded online games
I might have funded a game for these guys, but they are now asking to help pay legal fees of all things. Why couldn't they just make an homage to their SC games instead?
https://www.polygon.com/2018/6/25/17501084/star-control-creators-ford-reiche-stardock-lawsuit-campaign
Even the really successful MMORPG crowdfunding campaigns have only brought in a fraction of what is needed to fulfill the totally over the moon promises that were necessary to get that much in the first place.
At this point the devs have to go back to exactly those things crowdfunding was supposed to help avoid (either being reliant on investors and the resulting profit-maximization or having to directly use customer unfriendly monetization methods) and the supposed freedom to make what the backers desire is gone.
I think I've been hearing about the big ones for the last like 5 years or so right? Camelot, Crowfall, Star Citzen?
So it seems that Pantheon might be the wrong flag to be waved around in support of Crowdfunding.
Logic, my dear, merely enables one to be wrong with great authority.
In MMOs it is a place for nice scam. Imagine: I set up Kickstarter, promise cool things, post some art, set a goal (huge one). I take money, post some art, "guys, we need more $", open cash shop - since game is in pre-pre-pre-Alfa. Goal reached, I ask for more...goal not reached, I am left with real cash, backers are scammed. Later, I set up another project under different name/ideas - put some art etc.
Crowdfunding may be great for existing games.
Situation: players ask for Rainbow bridges. Developers calculate it would cost 50,000 $ to implement and they need those bucks elsewhere. Developers say: hey, folks, if you want, gatehr 50,000 and we'll make your rainbow bridges.
http://www.mmoblogg.wordpress.com
I've posted my general opinion up higher, but only want to add that we had a fruitful discussion about the general landscape previously, and I think that's still the main sticking point for myself: a better lens through which backers can assess these projects that isn't coming from a source biased by the direct correlation of more backing equals more profit. An assessment that is paid for merely at a standard per project basis, rather than tied to the amount of funds raised.
If you have informed people, that know the risks, realize what is going on, and understand what they are doing, it can be a great system to build up some really wonderful things.
If you have a bunch of clueless wonders that have no idea what they are doing and do not realize they are taking a risk with any "yet to be made" MMO's, it's a train wreck waiting to happen, and it gets even more hilarious each time they bring it up, and if/when they start asking for refunds, which means they had no idea what they were doing right from the get-go.. that's like watching a bear hit themselves in the nuts..
I'm getting closer and closer on Pantheon though!
Is it sad or normal that I would put more time and effort into a crowdfunding of a game, than I do my current IRL retirement.....?
Gut Out!
What, me worry?