Here’s a quick tip for developers looking to receive crowd sourced funding: don’t make exclusive rewards for different funding campaigns. Unfortunately this is exactly what Gun Media has done with their upcoming Friday the 13th The Game. They have released an interactive developer diary that is exclusive to those who pre-ordered via BackerKit. Those who backed it via Kickstarter can get a discount on just the developer diary. As expected, there are many backers who are not entirely satisfied with Gun Media’s decision to deliver it this way.
This is the cabin from the interactive developer diary.
One backer describes the feeling as “a bit of a kick in the teeth” while another expresses their disappointment, stating “Without us there would have been no 2nd round of funding in the first place.” Several others feel left out, especially the ones that made expensive pledges. Strictly looking at numbers, there were 4 pledges that met or exceeded $10,000 and those backers are being asked to pay for more despite that level of pledge practically being all inclusive.
The part that stings the most is that everything appears to be going as planned for Gun Media. The raised $823,000 on Kickstarter and another $198,000 at BackerKit while the original Kickstarter campaign was only asking for $700,000. Not only that but their estimated delivery is October 2016 which seems feasible considering their showcase at E3. I’m not saying that developers should give everything away post crowdfunding campaign. However, Gun Media seems to be doing well with Friday the 13th and people who initially funded this shouldn’t be shafted for it.
Sound like a cool game.
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