Ignis Fatuus
Banned
If Vita of all things is under consideration then I can't imagine why Android wouldn't be.
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Republique Kickstarter by Ryan Payton - NOW FOR PC AND MAC! [Ended, $555K funded]
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Vita's a unified gaming platform. Android is horrifyingly fragmented and has a userbase that is even less enthusiastic about paying for games than the iOS userbase.
I can't remember where I saw this, but I thought I read that Infinity Blade's budget was somewhere around $2M...
Didn't Infinity Blade also get some assistance from Apple?
featured in tv commercials and the app store.
$1.9m to be precise. Source: http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Multiformat/PocketGamerbiz/news.asp?c=31182
Android is also a platform that has a small niche core audience that wants to see more games made for it and would pay to fund them.
Zeouterlimits
Member
True, but the fragmentation and current unproven success (it just doesn't stand up to the AppStore) makes it a reluctant platform for a dev to leap onto.
Feel like Republique is currently in a Catch-22.
More platforms would probably help, but then they'd need more money & time to maintain the quality they want to reach. Getting even more money and for a later date would probably be a difficult sell for the audience right now, the circumstances of the project being what they are (that friendly old triangle).
Dynamite Shikoku
Congratulations, you really deserve it!
This will never make it to 500k
B_Rik_Schitthaus
Banned
I wonder what they do after, self funding is too risky, this failure might but of publishers.
Feels bad man.
I have yet to see any evidence that this is true. Unlike the PC gaming audience, I haven't seen any examples of android users willing to pay for any sort of niche software. Gaming or otherwise.
That's why they should port to windows phone.
Zeouterlimits
Member
Could be a win for MS if they locked up exclusivity for a while. Their platform really needs software..
I know that Microsoft is throwing money at iOS developers to get more apps to Windows Mobile. The port could be funded my MS for all we know. But, picking just iOS really narrows the market of core gamers who fund these sorts of kick starters.
So what happens if someone backs this game and they can't get it working properly on random Android handset #5761? Are they going to have to issue a refund to all owners of handset #5761? Or are those people just shit out of luck?
Yeah, looks like the flow has slowed considerably. Can't see it meeting its goal.
If you pay for a product that doesn't yet exist....if should take that risk.
Dreams-Visions
Member
needs moar Engadget/Giz/Wired homepage face time.
Same here
Yeah they do. The people behind the pepple watch were on those sites and pasted their goal in less than a day.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597507018/pebble-e-paper-watch-for-iphone-and-android
Ryan needs more exposure for his game.
Ignis Fatuus
Banned
I went back a few pages and was surprised to see that disgusting little rant by Touch Arcade. Never heard of the site before but if it's as big as you guys say, then it seems that the iOS gaming press is determined to bury this game rather than support it. A marked contrast to the kind of reception the project would get on PC, just sayin'. I can't stand snobs like Hodapp so I'm rooting for this Kickstarter a lot more now and I'll even chip in a bit as a symbolic gesture; but when it inevitably fails to meet the goal I sincerely hope that Ryan will consider changing the platform to greener pastures.
Ryan, I think certain hard realities will become clear from all this. The audience you're targeting is content with cheap titles and has been conditioned to expect them. Your vision is being met not only with muted enthusiasm, but with outright hostility and conservative snobbery. A lot of people are indeed fascinated by your concept, but those people are by and large not the audience you have aimed the game at. I'm sure this is nothing you don't already suspect yourself, and I can't even imagine how disappointed it must make you feel, but you should take solace in the fact that you have a good idea. I have no doubt that it could thrive on PC.
Frankly, this game is too good for the likes of Touch Arcade.
Ryan, I think certain hard realities will become clear from all this. The audience you're targeting is content with cheap titles and has been conditioned to expect them. Your vision is being met not only with muted enthusiasm, but with outright hostility and conservative snobbery. A lot of people are indeed fascinated by your concept, but those people are by and large not the audience you have aimed the game at. I'm sure this is nothing you don't already suspect yourself, and I can't even imagine how disappointed it must make you feel, but you should take solace in the fact that you have a good idea. I have no doubt that it could thrive on PC.
Frankly, this game is too good for the likes of Touch Arcade.
thetrin
Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
I think if nothing else, this kickstarter will highlight some cruel truths about the iOS market, and how different it really is from the PC gaming market (ie. completely).
I'll be honest. If Republique doesn't get funded, it will be another point in the long list of reasons why the iOS market and I will never see eye to eye.
I'll be honest. If Republique doesn't get funded, it will be another point in the long list of reasons why the iOS market and I will never see eye to eye.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
It's unfortunate. Any other platform and I probably would have supported it.
Dog Problems
Banned
And this is the biggest problem, in my opinion. It's the biggest hurdle iOS gaming has and I don't know what can be done about it. I guess having Apple take gaming more seriously would be a big step but who knows if that will happen.
thetrin
Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
What is stopping you from supporting an iOS game? Do you not have an iOS device, or just have no interest in playing games on one?
I wonder what sort of message it sends to publishers if any?
People are willing to throw down millions and millions for turn-based rpgs and point and click adventures (games which have long been forgotten because the people in charge of the money chased the Michael Bay experience) for the PC (a platform most people had written off just a few years ago) but they won't back an iOS game.
There's no denying that iOS is the hottest thing on the market right now so it's interesting to see people's reaction to this project. I thought it would be a struggle but it's starting to look like a complete failure.
maybe there's some questions here or maybe not. I don't know.
I don't have an iOS device, but even if I did, I wouldn't support it. There's just no reason to support a game on a device that is as proprietary and unfriendly to its end-users.
I wish him well, I just don't see this project working on the platform he wants to work on.
What is unfriendly about iOS devices? I also assume you wouldn't support a kickstarter on any of the consoles as well, based on the proprietary logic?
thetrin
Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
I think there's a strong difference in the possible demographics. The kickstarter PC movement has given a voice back to a group of PC gamers that felt they've been ignored since gaming became more mainstream in the last 10 years. They feel like suddenly they get a say in the development of games they've been praying for and asking for.
On the other hand, Republique fills no real underserved market, other than a tiny tiny niche market of gamers that like having a smartphone, but don't like the types of games already available on the platform. I'm sure if you drew a Venn diagram that illustrated the target audience for Republique, the overlap would pretty really really small.
I think that's unfortunate, but not wholly surprising. Infinity Blade's success has a lot to do with the marketing and assistance from Apple. Not to say that the game is bad by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't think the game would have been hugely successful as a Kickstarter project.
Sadly, I doubt there are very many gamers that looked at Republique and said "Finally! This is what I've been waiting for!" I mean, I did, but any time I look at something gaming related and think "Finally! What I've waited for!" I immediately realize I belong to a very vocal minority.
Shadowrun, Wasteland 2, Double Fine Adventure and Banner Saga all cater very carefully to a segment of PC gamers who feel that for the past 10 years, both their favorite genre and their favorite platform have been underappreciated, and ignored in the pursuit of blockbuster console cash. Republique just doesn't have the same baked-in audience to boost their funding.
I hope you don't play console games.
Correct. I don't think games should be on proprietary devices. From a preservational standpoint, consoles are hugely problematic (I'm a librarian).
I don't follow that logic at all - care to expand? And what is unfriendly about iOS devices exactly?
Dreams-Visions
Member
The majority of the iOS market doesn't know about this game. Again, it's not fair at all to blame the "iOS market" and iOS device owners. There have been no big-budget games that have been financed and produced for us to say, "yea, the iOS market can't support a high-budget game". The closest we have to it is Infinity Blade which was made and marketed for a few million, and has *made* money. Why couldn't this game do the same with the right support?
It's one thing to say that funding is difficult because new ground is being treaded or because the developer doesn't have a long history, but it's quite another to say that because a quiet Kickstarter isn't getting a lot of support at the moment it's somehow an indictment on the hundreds of millions of iOS owners. How the fuck are they even supposed to know about this project outside of insular gaming-related communities like this one without decent PR (and by "decent PR", I mean getting face time on major electronics/gaming/entertainment websites)?
I really disdain the opinion that because something hasn't been tried and isn't being bankrolled by venture capital or banks (yet), it somehow means that the iOS platform and community don't want it and wouldn't love it. It lacks facts or sound reasoning. On the contrary, I think the iOS platform is firtle ground that is RIPE for the plucking and only needs a game produced for it that is worth the $20 being asked. Create an unforgettable, unmissable experience that works great with touch controls and you create a benchmark game that all others will be compared to. One that tons will buy just to see, and many more to play this amazing game.
It's hard for me to accept that this team can't find venture capital for this. $500k isn't much for a project like this for iOS with this level of quality. @ $20, they break even with the first 500,000 copies sold...and on a platform with 50 or 60 million owners...why can't it? I don't get the pessimism towards people being willing to buy it on the platform, and I think that if this project gets the exposure it deserves, it will get the funding it needs and could herald a new level of expectation for what iOS games can look and feel like.
thetrin
Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
I hope you never buy anything on Steam either. What games DO you play, if you don't play smartphone, console or PC games sold on proprietary digital distro platforms?
I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but I just wanted to point out that the majority of Infinity Blade's money has been made on IAP. Something I don't think Republique has at all.
I don't think it WON'T work, but I do think that the iOS market is a mysterious one that no one really understands. I think the PC market is easier to predict. PC gamers are a vocal lot, and know exactly what they want. It's an older market.
Again, I never said the game won't get funded. I said "IF".
Have you had a chance to read the kickstarter page? They do have VC funding, but they're only willing to pony up half the cash if the other half is delivered by kickstarter, thereby also demonstrating a market for the product.
Just to weigh in on this, I don't think I'd support a console kickstarter that didn't at least have a PC version. When you're not weighed down by publishers there's really no reason not to, and when I'm paying forthe development of a game I want to enjoy it in the best possible way.
Good old games and retail PC games?
Domstercool
Member
If this was on any gaming device but a phone, I would have supported it. It looks interesting but I don't like gaming on phones (plus I don't have a iPhone) and this is something I'd rather also not play on a phone.
This would shoot well past the target if it was on PC or something else.
This would shoot well past the target if it was on PC or something else.
Dreams-Visions
Member
but the game is being designed explicitly for touch screen control...
that means the best experience IS on a touch screen device, not a PC. Hello.
There are tens of thousands of games available through platforms that are all about DRM-Free. Good Old Games, for example. indie games in general. Games locking down content to a specific platform is inherently problematic for the purposes of preserving those games for future generations. What's more, in the realm of online games, servers are becoming an equally problematic system, wherein the full experience of a game is being cut off. Demon's Souls for example, a game I enjoyed quite a bit, is having its servers shut down forever, and thus it will be a very long time before people will get to enjoy that experience again (if ever).
These are real problems for games using digital distribution methods. The reason games like Mount and Blade are so successful is because they allow users to create server environments for them so that everyone benefits from long-term interest in the game.
I wasn't talking about this particular project in that post, look at the context. But funnily enough, the PC (laptop) I'm typing this on right now has a multitouch touchscreen!
thetrin
Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
I buy retail PC games. Out of the 15 I've bought in the last couple months, only one has no DRM, and it was because they removed the DRM via a patch.
I'm not casting aspersions upon those who avoid proprietary hardware and DRM (hell, I love collecting games. I hate not being able to play a game 10 years from now), but it's just not realistic in this day and age.
Dog Problems
Banned
Because Shitfarter.
Just quoting this so we know exactly when you started digging your hole
onlyindreams
Banned
Toucharcade is awful. Their writers (Hodapp especially) and userbase only get excited for whatever 99 cent derivative endless runner or dual stick shooter with a cute art style is coming out next.
thetrin
Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Have you never played Demon's Souls before, or do you just not understand how the game works?
I guess I just don't see it that way. I want to experience the game the way the developer intends, and I defer to them on what the best platform is. I actually don't like playing games on my iPad or my iPhone, but Republique looks like something that would DEFINITELY appeal to me. It's on a platform I don't like playing games on. Oh well. At least it EXISTS.
A man liquidates his life savings to create his dream company, gather industry vets, and make the high budget mobile game they've always wanted to make.
Touch Arcade thinks they should fail.
Telling.