Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Project Awakened's independent crowdfunding campaign in full swing]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/01/project-awakeneds-independent-crowdfunding-campaign-in-full-swi/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/01/project-awakeneds-independent-crowdfunding-campaign-in-full-swi/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/01/project-awakeneds-independent-crowdfunding-campaign-in-full-swi/#comments Project Awakened's independent crowdfunding campaign in full swingProject Awakened came up short on Kickstarter in March, raising $338,498 of a requested $500,000, but the team at Phosphor Games wasn't ready to give up on the game just yet. After a week-long survey that attracted 4,000 responses, Phosphor decided there was enough interest to launch an independent fundraising campaign, with a few new tweaks.

Phosphor is using PayPal, one option that Kickstarter doesn't offer its projects, and its first goal is $250,000: the launch of multiplayer, mod-able Project Awakened: Danger Room in November. If Awakened doesn't hit that mark by May 5, all backers will receive a full refund.

Donations range from $5 to $10,000, each with unique perks. In Kickstarter-inspired fashion, the Awakened campaign has stretch goals, including for the initial requested amount of $500,000, which sees Phosphor commit to a launch date of June 2014 for the expanded Project Awakened: Subject, rather than the standard window of "around" the end of 2014.

So far Project Awakened has raised $44,696 from 764 backers, with 32 days to hit the first $250,000 goal. Check out the fundraising campaign on Phosphor's official site.

JoystiqProject Awakened's independent crowdfunding campaign in full swing originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>crowd-fundingcrowdfundingkickstarterpcphosphorphosphor-gamesproject-awakenedMon, 01 Apr 2013 23:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Skullgirls' $150,000 Indiegogo goal met in less than 24 hours]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/26/skullgirls-150-000-indiegogo-goal-met-in-less-than-24-hours/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/26/skullgirls-150-000-indiegogo-goal-met-in-less-than-24-hours/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/26/skullgirls-150-000-indiegogo-goal-met-in-less-than-24-hours/#comments Skullgirls' $150,000 IndieGogo goal met in less than 24 hoursSkullgirls developer Lab Zero Games has not only succeeded in raising the $150,000 required to design, develop and implement the game's first DLC character, but in doing so has also delivered crowd-funding platform Indiegogo's fastest and most-funded gaming project to date.

The fundraiser met its goal after 22 hours, and is sitting just above $184,000 as of press time, with 29 days of funding still left to go. This means that the project's first stretch goal, a new level and story mode campaign for Squigly, the new character, has also been completely funded. If the fundraiser reaches $375,000 before its completion, Skullgirls' first male character, Big Band, will also be created.

Once completed, Squigly will be made available at no cost on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Continue reading Skullgirls' $150,000 Indiegogo goal met in less than 24 hours

JoystiqSkullgirls' $150,000 Indiegogo goal met in less than 24 hours originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>autumn-gamescrowd-fundingindiegogokonamilab-zero-gamesmicrosoftpcplaystationps3reverge-labsskullgirlsSquiglyxboxTue, 26 Feb 2013 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Code Hero's buggy Kickstarter has backers preparing to draw legal lines in the sand]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/08/code-heros-buggy-kickstarter-has-backers-preparing-to-draw-lega/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/08/code-heros-buggy-kickstarter-has-backers-preparing-to-draw-lega/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/08/code-heros-buggy-kickstarter-has-backers-preparing-to-draw-lega/#comments Code Hero update Four weeks laterCode Hero's Kickstarter concluded on February 24, 2012, with 7,459 people pledging $170,954, almost doubling the project's requested amount and pushing that cash straight to developer Alex Peake. Peake described Code Hero as a game to help people, especially kids, learn how to code, and said he would use the money to launch a version of the game on August 31, with a Code Hero webseries and MMO also in the works.

Ten months later, on December 12, Code Hero had yet to launch in any form and Peake was absent from the Kickstarter conversation. Backers of the Code Hero Kickstarter fumed in the comments, informally requesting their money back, asking Peake where their rewards were, and questioning if Code Hero was a legitimate project at all. Leading the comment swarm was Dustin Deckard, a backer who had given Code Hero $300, but was now considering legal action against Peake and his studio, Primer Labs.

That night we spoke to Deckard and Peake in a Google Hangout. Peake expressed regret over his poor communication and promised he would launch alpha 2, a new version of Code Hero, as an update on its Kickstarter the next day, and that he would provide updates to the Kickstarter on the first of every month.

By January 8, 2013, the second alpha had yet to materialize on Kickstarter or the Primer Labs website, and January 1 passed without a whisper from Peake.

Continue reading Code Hero's buggy Kickstarter has backers preparing to draw legal lines in the sand

JoystiqCode Hero's buggy Kickstarter has backers preparing to draw legal lines in the sand originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alex-peakecode-herocrowd-fundingcrowdfundingdustin-deckardkickstarterpcprimer-labsTue, 08 Jan 2013 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Code Hero: The dangers of a Kickstarter success story]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/13/code-hero-the-dangers-of-a-kickstarter-success-story/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/13/code-hero-the-dangers-of-a-kickstarter-success-story/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/13/code-hero-the-dangers-of-a-kickstarter-success-story/#comments Code Hero "It's totally not abandoned," says Alex Peake, developer of Kickstarter project Code Hero, his face filling the screen of a Google Hangout window. Late on the night of December 12, Peake responds to comments on the Code Hero Kickstarter page, inviting backers and journalists to join him in a video chat if they have any questions, and apologizing for a lack of updates on the project.

In the chat, he answers our questions directly. "Code Hero is my reason for living. It's not like -"

One of Peake's friends jumps in. "I can second that," he says. "I can second that."

Peake continues, "No matter what, I will make Code Hero because that's why I live. That's my purpose in life."

Peake finds himself defending his commitment to Code Hero following a string of events that began when he established the Kickstarter late last year - events that, for his backers, represent some of the greatest concerns of Kickstarter funding.

Continue reading Code Hero: The dangers of a Kickstarter success story

JoystiqCode Hero: The dangers of a Kickstarter success story originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alex-peakecode-herocrowd-fundingdustin-deckardkickstarterpcprimer-labsThu, 13 Dec 2012 14:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Gamesplanet Lab: Kickstarter's 'crowd-creating' competitor]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/19/gamesplanet-lab-kickstarters-crowd-creating-competitor/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/19/gamesplanet-lab-kickstarters-crowd-creating-competitor/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/19/gamesplanet-lab-kickstarters-crowd-creating-competitor/#comments Gamesplanet Lab Kickstarter's 'crowdcreating' competitorAs Kickstarter has taken off like - well, a popular Kickstarter project - over the past year, especially in the gaming sector, backers have noticed a few inconsistencies with the platform. For one, projects aren't vetted for plausibility or quality outside of a standard registration form; your grandmother could accidentally promise the world 500 pounds of brownies if she raises $5, and there's nothing holding her to following through or using that money for brownie-related purposes.

For another, Kickstarter is US only. Creative ventures outside of the US can't begin a crowd-funded project, though anyone with a major credit card can donate to a project and watch its success with yearning in his heart. Also, Kickstarter caters to a wide range of products and ideas, making its reach broad but its expertise in handling any one industry dim.

Gamesplanet Lab is a new crowd-funding platform that handles only gaming projects, has a strict vetting and follow-through contract, and is based in Europe but is able to host projects from around the world. Yes, that does sound like everything you ever wanted in Kickstarter. The only thing Gamesplanet Lab needs now is proof that it can work - it needs a breakout crowd-funding success.

Continue reading Gamesplanet Lab: Kickstarter's 'crowd-creating' competitor

JoystiqGamesplanet Lab: Kickstarter's 'crowd-creating' competitor originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Jul 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3am-studioscrowd-creatingcrowd-fundingcrowdfundingCrowdSourceday-oneEUeuropefrogwaresgamesplanetgamesplanet-labkickstarterMagrunnerpcpendulo-studiosthe-devils-dictionaryululeThu, 19 Jul 2012 17:00:00 EST