A lot of people ask me why I'm using Kickstarter and not Patreon, which I want to address here.
Please understand this is not a discussion or a debate. I will probably not respond to comments. I know that some people, maybe even most people, will disagree with me. I am old and ugly enough to be OK with that. I actually think there's a beauty to (respectful) disagreement - why should we all walk the same path?
Kickstarter is a business decision I have taken after serious consideration. You do not have to agree or support me, although I honestly hope that posting this will help build trust with some members of the community. If not, well, at least I've been honest with my intentions and ambitions, and that's a hill I will proudly die on.
And if the kickstarter fails, so be it. I'll go back to the drawing board and work out the best way forward. I think Private Dick will still get made - it will just take me a bit longer.
1. On Trust
First off, I know there's a trust problem with Kickstarter. But honestly, I don't think there are many, if any, actual scammers on kickstarter trying to take your money. The reason kickstarters fail is the same reason patreons fail: making games is just really really hard, and it can break people. Even good, talented, experienced people.
I have designed my kickstarter to be as small as possible. I am an experienced developer, probably a older than most adult game devs (?), and I will not let feature creep kill the game. I've planned carefully and with flexibility to ensure I can deliver the project in a couple of months.
2. On Subscriptions
Secondly, some games, projects and artists suit Patreon very well. It's a good deal for backers and creators. Some games continually release new, modular content; while artists can post artwork every month to reward backers. Some people get to eat because of Patreon. This is great!
But my game is a fixed scope, carefully planned story. There is a certain length to the core story and, while there's some optional side content, there's only so much I can and want to do. The game will reach a natural conclusion, and then what happens to my subs? I will not, and will not be accused of, pad out the game just to milk a subscription.
I much prefer the pre-order model that Kickstarter offers - even if that means I have to invest more upfront and be less ambitious with the game's design.
3. On Profit
Finally, when the game is finished I will sell it on digital markets for profit. Backers will have paid much more than the retail value and will get no direct benefit from my profit despite potentially a significant investment. I personally am just not comfortable with that.
So that's it. My project is tightly scoped and guaranteed to return quickly, the content model doesn't suit a monthly subscription model, and I feel icky selling a crowdfunded game for personal profit. Thanks for reading ️