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Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic
Didn't need crowdfunding back then. Good product was it's own best advertisement and people bought games on the recommendation of other players and gaming magazines.
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But first you've got to develop a product and get it to market, and that takes capital. KS is a way to cut out the middle man. It's a great concept, when it works. Word of mouth only works once the product's in people's hands. Getting it there is the first hurdle; KS is a way to get over it.
What's curious to me is that FL is an established industry entity- they probably don't
need KS to get v4 off the ground. It seems like they could get the start-up funds without KS, but that would probably entail owing interest on loans (or dividends to investors), and/or giving up a share of the profits (yeah, I've watched a few episodes of
Shark Tank). With KS, all they owe is the product promised to their backers. It seems like a better deal for them, and maybe a faster track for potential customers.
I was thinking about this earlier today. The v4 KS backers are essentially pre-ordering, and pre-paying for the game. It's a great way to generate start-up capital, but is it a model with sustainable revenue generating possibilities? I just wonder what their long-term strategy is.
And that's where you're right on the money, SSC (pun intended)- if FL wants to sell more product than what their KS backers have essentially already pre-purchased (to the tune of $500k), the product is going to have to be good. Backers are going to have to be impressed/pleased enough with the core system to intro it to their gaming group, or recommend it to friends, or praise it on the interwebs- not to mention purchase follow-up products in the line. Otherwise, the buck is literally going to stop with the KS backers and the core box set.
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