Shadow of the Eternals and The Perils of Solo Crowdfunding
'Donations' do not have to go to specific project
Precursor Games' Shadow of the Eternals crowdfunding drive breaks away from some of the conventions established by Kickstarter, and not in a very appealing way.
The project's terms and conditions (as picked over by Polygon) state that funds received are, "strictly donations and are not consideration for any services or product." So your money could go wherever Precursor Games - a company formed by many former staff members of Slicon Knights, including studio head Dennis Dyack - sees fit.
Taken in conjunction with the fact that the funds are taken up front through paypal, that's not a very warming prospect. "A donation cannot be cancelled or returned once it has been completed, whether or not Precursor Games completes the game or fulfills the specified reward", the site reads.
On Kickstarter, funds are not collected until a campaign is complete, and only then if the goal is met. While Kickstarter only takes your cash if you hit your target, however, competitor site Indiegogo does have the facility for a 'flexible' model in which campaigners get the funds even if they don't reach their goal.
While the Precursor Games' FAQ does state that the goal is a "flexible one" and the T&Cs do give it the right to just hold on to your cash, however, the FAQ does state that "if it becomes apparent that we cannot raise enough to develop this project then we will refund all pledges."
Of course, the notion of "enough to develop this project" is a nebulous one. The total at the time of publication is $144,628 of a $1,500,000 goal. What if you donate, expecting to get a game developed on a $1.5m budget, but Precursor decides to do the job with only half that?
The studio states that it is going it alone because only companies with a UK or US presence can use Kickstarter. Indiegogo does not have such restrictions.
Precursor Games is not the only games company to attempt to crowdfund a project without relying wholly on one of the established platforms. Star Citizen recently made three times as much money from its own crowdfunding scheme as it did from Kickstarter.
The project's terms and conditions (as picked over by Polygon) state that funds received are, "strictly donations and are not consideration for any services or product." So your money could go wherever Precursor Games - a company formed by many former staff members of Slicon Knights, including studio head Dennis Dyack - sees fit.
Taken in conjunction with the fact that the funds are taken up front through paypal, that's not a very warming prospect. "A donation cannot be cancelled or returned once it has been completed, whether or not Precursor Games completes the game or fulfills the specified reward", the site reads.
On Kickstarter, funds are not collected until a campaign is complete, and only then if the goal is met. While Kickstarter only takes your cash if you hit your target, however, competitor site Indiegogo does have the facility for a 'flexible' model in which campaigners get the funds even if they don't reach their goal.
While the Precursor Games' FAQ does state that the goal is a "flexible one" and the T&Cs do give it the right to just hold on to your cash, however, the FAQ does state that "if it becomes apparent that we cannot raise enough to develop this project then we will refund all pledges."
Of course, the notion of "enough to develop this project" is a nebulous one. The total at the time of publication is $144,628 of a $1,500,000 goal. What if you donate, expecting to get a game developed on a $1.5m budget, but Precursor decides to do the job with only half that?
The studio states that it is going it alone because only companies with a UK or US presence can use Kickstarter. Indiegogo does not have such restrictions.
Precursor Games is not the only games company to attempt to crowdfund a project without relying wholly on one of the established platforms. Star Citizen recently made three times as much money from its own crowdfunding scheme as it did from Kickstarter.
Companies:
Precursor Games
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