Broken Age
Broken Age is an episodic point-and-click adventure video game, Tim Schafer’s first return to the genre since 1998’s Grim Fandango.
It began under the working title Double Fine Adventure as a Kickstarter crowdfunded project promoted by Double Fine and 2 Player Productions in February 2012. Originally a goal of $400,000 was set to cover the costs of development and documentary filming, it became the largest crowdfunded video game project at the time, raising over $3.45 million from more than 87,000 backers within the month. It remains one of the highest-backed crowdfunded projects of any type, and its success helped to establish Kickstarter and other crowdfunding mechanisms as a viable alternative to traditional venture capital and publisher funding for niche video game titles.
Campaign success
Broken age is an adventure game similar to ones that were produced in the late 1980 and early 1990. Because of the technological advances such games became outdated to newer (junger) population of gamers. As such it was presented on Kickstarter as a product that could not exist without a public support of old school entusiasts. Person that stood with his reputation is Tim Schafer, one of the main figures in the golden age of adventure games genre. But still, he promised that the game will not be “museum” or “nostalgia” work, but instead “It’s going to be fresh and feel modern and feel like what the next game would have been if I’d made one straight after Grim Fandango”.
Primary goal for Tim Schafer’s Double fine was $ 400,000, with $100,000 allocated to the film production and $300,000 for the game.
Although this was the largest goal of any gaming project yet on Kickstarter, it was the lowest budget the company had worked with, and a small fraction of the budget of the company’s previous downloadable games, which cost around $2 million. Schafer admitted that a game made for this budget would be “hobbled,” and that the budget was chosen because it was the absolute minimum he thought he could make an adventure game for. The two had originally envisioned a total $200,000 budget, a typical cost for an iOS game, but Schafer had doubts about whether Double Fine could deliver a game for such a low cost.
Within 24 hours, it had surpassed $1 million. Kickstarter stated on the day after its start that the Double Fine effort is the most successful to date, having attracted more backers than any prior effort in the site’s history The Double Fine project passed the $2 million mark on February 20, 2012, twelve days after fund raising began.
The Kickstarter closed on March 13 with more than $3.3 million from over 87,000 backers, and with another $110,000 promised by premium backers.
Schafer stated that the total funding was nearly the same as the budget for their previous downloadable titles.
Rewards for donors
Pledge $15 or more
47946 backers The finished game in all of its awesome glory DRM free on PC, Mac, and Linux, or via Steam for PC and Mac, exclusive access to the Beta on Steam, access to the video series, and access the private discussion community.
Pledge $30 or more
24636 backers HD download of the documentary series with extras, Digital game soundtrack, Digital documentary soundtrack, and all previous reward tiers.
Pledge $60 or more
1090 backers PDF version of the Double Fine Adventure Book (filled with 100+ full color pages of concept art, original photos, developer bios, excerpts from the game’s script, deep dark secrets, and more!), and all previous reward tiers!
Pledge $100 or more
11530 backers Special edition box containing both the game disc and a DVD or Blu-Ray of the documentary, Double Fine Adventure Backer T-shirt, original “Double Fine Adventure” poster (suitable for framing), special thanks in the game’s credits, and all previous reward tiers.
Pledge $250 or more
900 backers ”Double Fine Adventure” Poster autographed by Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert, and the rest of the design team, and all previous reward tiers
Pledge $500 or more
148 backers Hardcover Double Fine Adventure Book (filled with 100+ full color pages of concept art, original photos, developer bios, excerpts from the game’s script, deep dark secrets, and more!) signed by Tim Schafer himself, and all previous reward tiers with the exception of the signed poster.
Pledge $1,000 or more
100 backers Mini portrait of YOU, painted by the game’s artist, and all previous reward tiers.
Pledge $5,000 or more
10 backers Larger original painting of art used in the final game, and all previous reward tiers.
Pledge $10,000
4 backers Lunch with Tim Schafer and Ron Gilbert, a tour of the Double Fine offices, and all previous reward tiers.
Project success
Although the success of campaign was great Tim Schafer and Double fine production still have not managed to release the game untill this day. As game budget suprassed everybodys expectation, Tim Schafer felt obligated to give backers something more than he first imagined. That led him to constant changes of games, which were making the game bigger and bigger. In certain moment he spent all the money his backers gave him. In order to avoid financial bankrupt he released first half of crowdfunded game. It is called “Broken age - Act I”. Double Fine released the game on January 14, 2014. This helped him to earn enough money to preceed with game production. Unfortunately, the game is not released untill this day. It is expected to be released earliest in first half of 2015.
