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Work Halted On Neal Stephenson's Kickstarted Swordfighting Video Game
An anonymous reader writes "Last year, sci-fi author Neal Stephenson and a team of game developers set out to make video game swordfighting awesome. They set up a Kickstarter campaign to fund the creation of hardware and software tech that would make replace console controllers with something more realistic. Now, production on that tech and the game in which they showcase it has been halted. In an update on the Kickstarter page, Stephenson explains how they've sought other investments without success. The project is 'on pause,' and the team asks for patience. He says, 'The overall climate in the industry has become risk-averse to a degree that is difficult to appreciate until you've seen it. It is especially bemusing to CLANG team members who, by cheerfully foregoing other opportunities so that they could associate themselves with a startup in the swordfighting space, have already shown an attitude to career, financial, and reputational risk normally associated with the cast members of Jackass. To a game publisher crouched in a fetal position under a blanket, CLANG seems extra worrisome because it is coupled to a new hardware controller.'"
...about why I don't trust kickstarter.
Sure, I'll fund you. Once you have something ready to deliver.
Otherwise, I'm not going to trust a bunch of newbies with my money, essentially giving them an interest free loan.
As someone who has done a bit of both Japanese and French style fencing, I was excited about this game. But its pausing (read: cancellation) does not come as a surprise. Any game that requires special hardware is going to face an uphill battle. My guess is that it became apparent the hardware they needed to make the game work they way they envisioned was going to be unrealistically expensive (like over $100 per unit). Theoretically, that hardware could come down in price in the near future and they could start back up- but I seriously doubt it.
In case anybody is wondering of the state of the game, there is a nice video review of it.
Chris Kohler reports that Subutai Corporation, the developer of Clang, the motion-controlled swordfighting game spearheaded by fiction author Neal Stephenson, has burned through the over half a million dollars that backers donated and can't finish the game without even more money. "We've hit the pause button on further CLANG development while we get the financing situation sorted out," says the Clang Team. "We stretched the Kickstarter money farther than we had expected to, but securing the next round, along with constructing improvised shelters and hoarding beans, has to be our top priority for now."
But not so fast writes Kohler. "What shocks me about this particular update is that Subutai seems to be neither apologetic, nor realistic about what actually occurred in this case. Reading the update, it seems like the blame is falling everywhere but on Subutai's own decisions."
The Clang Team says that "Kickstarter is amazing, but one of the hidden catches is that once you have taken a bunch of people's money to do a thing, you have to actually do that thing, and not some other thing that you thought up in the meantime." Only after completing the whole Kickstarter did they discover the hidden trick to the whole thing writes Kohler, which is that you have to make the thing you took people's money to make.
"Hey, Kickstarter creators: If you run out of money and need to explain things to your backers, you're stuck between a rock and a hard place and I don't envy you having to decide how to approach it. But I can say one thing: Definitely do not post an update like this."
Wow.
So let me get this straight: Best-selling, presumably well-heeled author uses his star power to hold the beggar's cup on Kickstarter.
Author spends the proceeds without delivering anything.
Author pens a nice FU to the folks that trusted him, gives up.
Stephenson: how about digging into your pocket and delivering what you promised? I sincerely hope that he now has 9000+ former fans that will never buy another book from him, and will tell their family and friends to do the same. And thus ends up taking a bigger financial hit than just simply doing the right thing.
Sure, they raised over $500k from 9000+ backers, but they hadn't raised that money to make a sweet swordfighting game... they raised that so they could raise their profile to get funding from more traditional sources. From Kotaku's take on it:
"Despite hitting its funding goal of $500,000 last year, development on the game is grinding to a halt, with Stephenson writing on the game's Kickstarter page that CLANG is now an "evenings and weekends" project because the money has run out, and many developers have sought contract work elsewhere.
But wait. That's not all. Turns out the money was never going to fund development of the game in the first place; the developers were simply using it as a starting point from which they could attract venture capitalist and/or publisher backing, which for whatever reason hasn't materialised."
No matter what, the money you put towards a project needs to be like any other unsecured investment: Money you can afford to lose. On Kickstarter you are investing for creative, rather than financial, return but the rules are the same. Obviously you want to vet what you invest in first, and if it seems like they don't know what they are doing, have a poor business plan, are scam artists, etc don't invest. However even if it is an established company, good rep, etc, etc you still need to be prepared to lose the money with no return.
I love Kickstarter, I've backed 10 videogames on it so far, but it is something I'm realistic about. Currently of those 3 have delivered as promised, 5 look like they are on track for release as promised, 1 is floundering badly and will likely fail, and 1 appears to have failed (the dev hasn't announced it, but there's been nothing from him in a long time and the game is in a very early alpha state). I'm ok with that. I only spent money I could afford to lose and I didn't expect all the products would work out, particularly since it was some smaller devs in some cases.
Given the statement "We stretched the Kickstarter money farther than we had expected to" the only conclusion is that when stated that for $10,000 they'd give you:
* Steel longsword based on a design by noted sword-smith and Foreworld contributor, Angus Trim
* A Studio tour and lunch with the team!
* Gotlandic war knife based on a design by bladesmith Jeff Pringle
* Original concept art plus invitations to company parties in Seattle
* Your face on your exclusive character!
* Name a character in the large world Foreworld game project.
* Name a character in a future Foreworld story, the alternate history in which The Mongoliad (and CLANG) is set
* Complete Mongoliad trilogy signed by team plus invitations to company parties in Seattle.
* Print version of the illustrated CLANG fighting manual signed by the team
* Copy of the Deluxe Edition of The Mongoliad Book 1, signed by the writers
* Motivational poster signed by the team. OMVI patch.
* Print edition of illustrated CLANG fighting manual.
* T-shirt with CLANG/Subutai Kickstarter campaign graphic.
* PDF of illustrated Clang fighting manual.
* Download of game concept art in pdf format.
* Two copies of the game
They had no intention of actually doing so, since apparently they've already done more than they expected with the money in the first place.
The reality is that backing Kickstarter projects is really the risk of an investment without the returns of an investment. In the past when people hit the point in the projects that they needed outside funding they'd need to find investors who'd own part of the product, Now they hit Kickstarter charge full price for a product they may never deliver and in the event its successful maintain all of the profits.
This is particularly bothersome to me when people like Neal Stephenson and Zach Braff who have money themselves, as well as access to investors. Kickstarter ought to be the place where small time folks who've completed the product but don't have access to the funds to get the initial batch made.
Having RTFPs here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/260688528/clang/posts/604023
Almost all the reward levels have had their items shipped, and it sounds like the currently development version of the game made it into some (all?) of the funder's hands.
As such this is yet more Dice Slashtrolling where the issues are far less significant than were espoused.
NS: Sorry about the FU, it sounds like something made it out even if it was in an unacceptable form to the fans, and you guys DID at least ensure the majority of funding swag made it to the respective supporters.
I'd be REALLY pissed if I was one of the 9 people that donated over $10,000.
You shouldn't, if you were, for two reasons.
One: disposable income is relative. It's safe to assume that someone who pitches in five digits for a video game is not hurting for that cash. That pledge loss is to them what $100 might be to you or I. Or $10 for someone else.
Two: Kickstarter is a patronage system. Pure and simple. It's not a purchasing system, it's not a cash-now-product-later system. Patronage. You provide funds to a person or group whom you respect and wish to assist. There's no guarantee in patronage. The artist may produce something you don't like. The artist may die. The artist's muse may prove elusive for a time. Shit happens. If you're viewing Kickstarter as anything else, you're doing it wrong.
"Oh no... he found the