Brainstorming thread about the next Kickstarter campaign.
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 12:33 am
This thread is a bit different from the brainstorming threads about what backers want to see from the next game. Instead, this thread is more about the execution of next Kickstarter campaign and marketing more than it is about the game. It is about brainstorming content that can go into elevator pitches, infographics and presskits. Is is also good to think up potential questions that future backers may ask so that answers can be prepared.
Like the other brainstorming threads, Matt shouldn't be obligated to respond to any or all of the questions here because that may slow down the creative process.
I'll start here:
When were specific rewards delivered? A big part of Kickstarter is potential backers gauging if the project creator can actually deliver on the project. Since NN was not vaporware and actually shipped something more than an early-alpha it has an advantage over many other projects. NN released on Steam on September 26th 2014. The estimated delivery date during the campaign back in 2013 was for an August 2014 release. I don't remember for sure if the Ouya release was earlier than the Steam release. Compared to other Kickstarter projects that I've backed, NN was right on time. Actually keeping to the release schedule is a huge positive point to mention because many other crowdfunded games failed to release close to what they promised.
How many postcards, posters, t-shirts, etc. were shipped? This can help settle potential concerns about the fulfillment of physical rewards. Specific numbers like "423" can carry more weight than vague answers like "A lot of t-shirts". The best numbers could be selected for the presskit or project page.
Sometimes the not obvious numbers can be useful or entertaining. Looking at Matt's Steam profile I see he has over 261 hours of Retro/Grade played just for what Steam has logged. There could be a comment about how much he still plays Retro/Grade. Matt's project creator account has backed over 160 projects.
What are some interesting numbers? How many project updates were made? This could be divided in categories like posts during the campaign and after. The number could even be processed like the average number of updates per month. NN has been far better than even much larger projects for staying in communication with backers.
What has past coverage been like? How many rewards or nominations? How well did it fair in the top-ten lists bloggers produce at the end of a year? What conventions did it appear at? Which famous people played the game? Which famous Let's Players played it? How many views on those YouTube videos?
How well did the community involvement work? There can be testimonies from backers. There could be a summary of when builds were made available to backers. There could even be a brief compilation of fanart.
What features were accomplished? What languages was the game translated into? What features like cloud saves were implemented? What were the minimum computer requirements. What problems like Intel's integrated GPU bugs were overcome?
How has Matt's personal story continued since the 2013 project? The history behind NN and how that related to the experience being crafted was one of the reasons it received attention from press.
What about iOS ports of Neverending Nightmares? There was an interview long ago talking about sophisticated shaders in the game making it difficult to target multiple mobile hardware. An iOS launch around the same time as a Kickstarter launch could create some marketing synergy (The dreaded business word "synergy").
Will the next game be on the Ouya store? Many backers were also Ouya backers. If it is not going to support Ouya then there should be a justification like pushing the GPU demands more than they were with NN. There could be a mention of how Ouya's FTGF helped make the minimum goal smaller last time.
What should be on the Wikipedia page? The NN Wikipedia page should be updated to link to the next project at launch. It could be a lot longer and more filled out than it currently is.
What could be done better with the next project page? There is discussing what worked and what didn't for the NN project page. I think there could be more content about the other devteam members in an early project update. Their personal stories could be added to the project. The add-ons section took up a lot of space on the previous campaign. Next time it could be a more compact infographic.
What should the next pitch video be like? Because so many developer updates through YouTube were from the same camera position showing the shelves of game boxes, I think that scene should continue to be used at least for some part of the pitch. There is the option to horror decorate the scene a bit. The developer talking scene after a gameplay teaser trailer could begin with his room spooky and candle lit, but then it plays on audience expectations by not being a jumpscare but actually Matt's "Hello" with a wave and then the room's ceiling light turns on.
Like the other brainstorming threads, Matt shouldn't be obligated to respond to any or all of the questions here because that may slow down the creative process.
I'll start here:
When were specific rewards delivered? A big part of Kickstarter is potential backers gauging if the project creator can actually deliver on the project. Since NN was not vaporware and actually shipped something more than an early-alpha it has an advantage over many other projects. NN released on Steam on September 26th 2014. The estimated delivery date during the campaign back in 2013 was for an August 2014 release. I don't remember for sure if the Ouya release was earlier than the Steam release. Compared to other Kickstarter projects that I've backed, NN was right on time. Actually keeping to the release schedule is a huge positive point to mention because many other crowdfunded games failed to release close to what they promised.
How many postcards, posters, t-shirts, etc. were shipped? This can help settle potential concerns about the fulfillment of physical rewards. Specific numbers like "423" can carry more weight than vague answers like "A lot of t-shirts". The best numbers could be selected for the presskit or project page.
Sometimes the not obvious numbers can be useful or entertaining. Looking at Matt's Steam profile I see he has over 261 hours of Retro/Grade played just for what Steam has logged. There could be a comment about how much he still plays Retro/Grade. Matt's project creator account has backed over 160 projects.
What are some interesting numbers? How many project updates were made? This could be divided in categories like posts during the campaign and after. The number could even be processed like the average number of updates per month. NN has been far better than even much larger projects for staying in communication with backers.
What has past coverage been like? How many rewards or nominations? How well did it fair in the top-ten lists bloggers produce at the end of a year? What conventions did it appear at? Which famous people played the game? Which famous Let's Players played it? How many views on those YouTube videos?
How well did the community involvement work? There can be testimonies from backers. There could be a summary of when builds were made available to backers. There could even be a brief compilation of fanart.
What features were accomplished? What languages was the game translated into? What features like cloud saves were implemented? What were the minimum computer requirements. What problems like Intel's integrated GPU bugs were overcome?
How has Matt's personal story continued since the 2013 project? The history behind NN and how that related to the experience being crafted was one of the reasons it received attention from press.
What about iOS ports of Neverending Nightmares? There was an interview long ago talking about sophisticated shaders in the game making it difficult to target multiple mobile hardware. An iOS launch around the same time as a Kickstarter launch could create some marketing synergy (The dreaded business word "synergy").
Will the next game be on the Ouya store? Many backers were also Ouya backers. If it is not going to support Ouya then there should be a justification like pushing the GPU demands more than they were with NN. There could be a mention of how Ouya's FTGF helped make the minimum goal smaller last time.
What should be on the Wikipedia page? The NN Wikipedia page should be updated to link to the next project at launch. It could be a lot longer and more filled out than it currently is.
What could be done better with the next project page? There is discussing what worked and what didn't for the NN project page. I think there could be more content about the other devteam members in an early project update. Their personal stories could be added to the project. The add-ons section took up a lot of space on the previous campaign. Next time it could be a more compact infographic.
What should the next pitch video be like? Because so many developer updates through YouTube were from the same camera position showing the shelves of game boxes, I think that scene should continue to be used at least for some part of the pitch. There is the option to horror decorate the scene a bit. The developer talking scene after a gameplay teaser trailer could begin with his room spooky and candle lit, but then it plays on audience expectations by not being a jumpscare but actually Matt's "Hello" with a wave and then the room's ceiling light turns on.