Kickstarter

KICKSTARTER

Bill StiernbergZeboyd Games

Twitter: @bill_at_zeboydEmail: bill.zeboyd@gmail.com

KICKSTARTER

I. Intro II. Kickstarter Basics III. Pros and Cons IV. Q & A V. Project ideas!

Robert BoydCo-Founder

Bill Stiernberg <-That’s me

Robert BoydCo-Founder

That’s me

II. Kickstarter Basics

Crowdfunding Marketing tool? Truly a Campaign

Who Are Your Backers

Marketing Know your audience, and your fans! How do they hear about projects? Give people a story! Think outside the box

Investment or Patronage?

Quick Overview

Overview Title Pitch Video Elevator Pitch Funding Goal Description Rewards & Tiers Risks & Challenges

Pitch Video

First thing they see Catchy “title” image Professionally produced?▪ Audio and Video

Pitch Video

Short and sweet! Boring!? Show gameplay or other teaser Be honest, put yourself out there – if

you can Do they really watch it?

Sometimes.

Elevator Pitch

“A succinct and persuasive sales pitch.” Limited # of characters Focus on:

WHAT the project is WHO is making it PLATFORMS it is for CREDIBILITY▪ “New turn-based RPG from the creators of Cthulhu

Saves the World. Inspired by Chrono Trigger, Phantasy Star & Suikoden. PC/Mac/PS4/Vita.”

Funding Goal

Affects your project scope Affects your likelihood of funding

Crucial FIRST 48 hours Crucial FINAL 48 hours

Account for ALL: Development Contractors Physical rewards SHIPPING Kickstarter, Amazon Fees Tax issues

Project Description (Page)

CATCH their attention! Make it pretty, polished, animated Give them what they’re looking for FIRST

Unique aspects of project CREDIBILITY is big! Fun additional game info ACCOUNTABILITY section

Reward section Risks & Challenges

Rewards and Tiers

What do they typically want? Game OST Art books, early access, credits, T-shirts,

etc. Unique offerings that don’t kill your

funding Fan involvement

Rewards != Sales

Rewards

Digital or Physical Rewards? Smooth tier variance

Increase value for modest increase in funding

Risks & Challenges

Required section by Kickstarter.com Be honest Few game projects ever go exactly

as planned Focus on your credibility Give yourself wiggle room –

especially on release dates / rewards

Stretch Goals?

Pros Keep up momentum Increase funding Bigger game scope

Cons Changes scope of project May overburden dev team Easy to underestimate

Post-Kickstarter

Plan for your rewards Support your new community Regular updates Social media, website

IV. Pros and Cons

Pros: Don’t need a publisher! Direct fan support Possibly more creative freedom Set a budget tailored to your needs Marketing & visibility Build a community

IV. Pros and Cons

Cons Easy to underestimate costs Easy to underestimate time Backers’ expectations? Answerable to hundreds, thousands Pressure! Reward fulfillment Campaigning = a full time job

Examples

Shantae ½ Genie hero Chasm Hyper Light Drifter Shovel Knight Cosmic Star Heroine (that’s us!)

My contact info

Bill Stiernberg Zeboyd Games Twitter:

@bill_at_zeboyd Email:

bill.zeboyd@gmail.com