14 DAY TRIAL // Julian Gollop, the original creator of the X-Com franchise, believes that at the moment crowdfunding, although very popular with smaller teams, is no longer as lucrative for players as it was when it was first introduced and that some companies might struggle to succeed on Kickstarter.
The developer is telling GamesIndustry.biz that his name recognition and the success of the Firaxis-made modern remake of his old title have certainly helped him get the money that he needs to create Chaos Reborn, his new project.
Gollop states, “Crowdfunding is very difficult, and much more difficult now that it was even a year ago. That’s the reality. You need to look at the games that are doing well on Kickstarter and figure out why, and your goal has to be quite low or you’re not going to reach it.”
According to the game creator, he talked to Chris Roberts and to Brian Fargo and both agreed that their own companies would have problems raising the money they need in the current environment.
Early Kickstarter success stories include Project Eternity from Obsidian, the Broken Age adventure title from Double Fine, Wasteland 2 from inXile, and Star Citizen.
Gollop says that he put in a lot of work into his own Kickstarter and tried to show players quickly what Chaos Reborn would be like when launched.
He adds, “I had done a lot of work on PR and promoting the game: on my blog, on Twitter, I got journalists looking at the game so I had coverage in print and online. I even delayed the Kickstarter all because I didn’t think the PR was sufficient yet. If you’re going the crowdfunding route, you have to do your PR and promotion consistently for months before you even start.”
Chaos Reborn was fully funded after a rush of late donations, which rarely happens on Kickstarter, and Julian Gollop says that he does not know what caused them to materialize after the momentum was mostly gone from the project.
The title will feature two opposing wizards who will battle using a turn-based tactical system, using both direct spells and a variety of summoned creatures.
Gollop is introducing some interesting twists, including a chaos meter and the use of illusions that can do real damage.
Launch will take place during spring of next year on the PC, Mac, and Linux and the experience will include online multiplayer, coop battles, and rankings.