Kickstarting Shadowrun ReturnsAdventures in Crowdfunding

Mitch GitelmanCo-Founder, Harebrained Schemes

Seattle, WA

Our Aging Hero• Designer, Mayfair Games 1993• Founded Pompeii Design Studio in 1994• Creative Director @ a horrible game co.• Joined FASA Interactive in 1996

– Producer/Designer MechCommander Series– Developed Crimson Skies IP

• FASA acquired by Microsoft 1998– Producer, MechAssault - 1st game on Xbox LIVE– Executive Producer, Crimson Skies– Studio Manager, FASA Studio– Director, Digitally Distributed Games– Director, Xbox Live Arcade 1st Party Studio

• Co-Founder, Harebrained Schemes

It is a Time of Disruption...

• 2005 – Guitar Hero, casual is good• 2006 – Wii, Social is better• 2008 - App Store, cool kids playing• 2008 – Farmville, virtual goods okay• 2009 – Words w/Friends, social & mobile• 2009 – iOS IAP, free-to-play explodes• 2010 – iPad, gaming in bed

It is a Time Undreamed of. . .

• Gamers are almost normal• Playboy’s PMOM is out of the closet!

• Game development is considered a viable career path (wait, what?)

• Even game development schools exist

• 2012 - Kickstarter, crowdfunding

The Rise of Crowdfunding

• Crowdfunding is another tool to monetize your game...

• ...before you’ve finished it

• In some cases, before you’ve even started it

And Here, our Adventure Begins

kickstarter.com

Crowdfunding Basics

• Find your audience• Share your vision • Tell your story• Prove you can do it• Keep in touch

The Pitch

• Keep the video professional, but personal– Don’t over-produce it– Show your face ASAP– People want to be part of a story

• KISS– Keep It Simple, Stupid

• Hierarchy of information– Video– Graphics– Text– Better yet, embed key info into graphics

• Remember most people ONLY look at the videos• Don’t count on key messages in body copy or FAQ

Before You Start

• What worked and what didn’t?• What funding ranges worked?• What reward tiers worked?• What reward swag worked?• What elements of the videos, text & graphics worked?

• What is the right “ask”?

Update Videos

Respond to Your Audience

• Answer questions - promptly• Say thank you – personally• Participate in the dialog – constantly• Publish new content – regularly• Sleep – when it’s over

• And BEWARE of Stretch Goals– Don’t over-commit development– Researched your rewards– Prepare your stretch goals

Stretch Goals

Social Media Outreach

Banner

Profile Pic#shadowrunreturns

Market the Funding

• You need to bring your audience to the funding site

• Reach them where they live– Online– Offline

• Creatively use social media • Drive for high initial velocity

New Reward Levels and Swag

Know Your Costs

• Digital Distribution– Server, bandwidth, etc– 30% platform fees

• Cost of Goods– Low volume manufacturing = high unit costs– More items = lower production per item

• Design and Management Costs– Everything that takes time costs your project

• The 3 horseman of the funding apocalypse– Picking, Packing, & Shipping

The Numbers

• Campaign ran for 25 days• Over 36k Backers• 35 written & video updates• Over 14k Posts on Kickstarter– Plus emails– Plus Facebook– Plus, plus, plus

• $1.9m in funding

The Progress

The Opportunity

• A chance to Validate• A chance to Innovate• A chance to Dream

The Dream

Distance

Game development has become democratized

Crowdfunding Sites

• Kickstarter• IndieGogo• Gamebitious• Fundeadora

The Deluge

• The floodgates have opened• The novelty is over• The marketplace is crowding• Differentiation remains king

It is a Time of Adventure. . .

It is a Time Undreamed of. . .

It’s the AGE OF THE INDIE

Questions?

mitchgit@hbs-studios.comwww.harebrained-schemes.com