Intro
Hey look Pax and Pax Dev is over! This means I can devote more time to the Blog! And yes, I'm aware it needs some organization; but things will improve in the following weeks (I feel like I'm starting to sound like a broken record).
However, there is the unfinished business with the Defense grid 2 Kickstarter presentation so without further ado...
Money and Backers
Median backer for the Kickstarter was 42$
Had 6291 backers
Roughly 75% of backers donated less than 15$
Small, medium and large backers made up equal thirds
News stories brought in money
Rock Paper Shotgun article brought in $ 15,000
Kotaku article $ 17,000
After fees and merchandising the total money raised was $197,505 (fundraising goal was 250,000)
Community
You need a community to make a successful Kickstarter
Took roughly 10 person months of work
Hidden Path (Developers) also had a PR firm
Kickstarter is Not about the Money; It's about the community.
Kickstarter odds are worse than getting a publisher.
Conclusion
So, Defense Grid 2 Kickstarter was a modest Kickstarter in comparison to some of the astronomical successes out there. It met it's funding goal of a quarter of a million dollars. A Kickstarter is a lot of work and very focused on the community. There are a lot of hidden costs associated with using Kickstarter and it requires work on the back end to support your pledges. The traditional publishing model is still the easiest way to get money for a large company. However, if you have a strong community and a good marketing presence it can be a good way to fund a project.
