Narrative video games, whether they be text-based or exploratory titles with a strong story throughout, have grown noticeably in popularity over the past couple of years. As such, it’s no surprise that the creator of Sunless Sea has taken to helping aspiring writers/creators finance their projects with… Fundbetter. Who better than someone with a popular genre entry already out there, after all? Do not underestimate the importance of experience.
On top of that, for up-and-comers, the likes of Kickstarter and Indiegogo are much too competitive and overwhelming, making this the more viable alternative. As far as the definition of the two keywords – ‘narrative’ and ‘game’ – go, well, Failbetter Games are quite open-minded, which is certainly helpful given the varied ‘types’ of interactive fiction out there. Text-based parser stuff, interactive fiction, perhaps even a sports title with a strong storyline? Who knows.
Now, as far as the actual money involved goes, here’s a quick rundown: Failbetter’s mostly looking to fund projects within the £2,000-£20,000 range, although that number isn’t exactly set in stone; more of a general rule, as it were. Just keep in mind that we’re talking funding here, not a grant, and certainly not charity. As such, it does come with a few strings attached. Nothing major, really. They [Failbetter Games] simply want “suitable credit/branding in the game”, 50% of the revenue until that initial investment’s paid back, after which that number drops to 20%.
Why are we doing this? We want to pay our luck forward; we also want to do well by doing good. There’s no one best way to make a narrative game, and we expect to learn from our fundees. We have a distinct house style, but the more insights and perspectives we have access to, the better.
Fairly priced? Hard to say, but this next bit has me confused. I mean, isn’t “if we never make back our initial investment, you’re free to get on with your life” kinda contradicting the whole first-a-50-then-20-per cent-cut deal? Or maybe I missed something. Whatever the case, those interested should send an email to fundbetter@failbettergames.com, including… a lot of things actually. So much that I’m just going to leave a link to the Fundbetter website instead of listing them. And on that note, best of luck!
(Source: Introducing Fundbetter)