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Why did people support a Kickstarter project for a multimillionaire?

RazeeksterRazeekster Member UncommonPosts: 2,591
in The Pub at MMORPG.COM
Like seriously this is the same guy who spent USD 30 million to go to space and he can't afford 1 million out of his own pocket? If Garriott truly wanted to make this game like he says he would have paid for it himself with his vast fortune.

Smile

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Comments

  • VarkingVarking Member UncommonPosts: 542
    "Richard has already invested several million dollars in the game and will almost certainly invest more before we ship. We would have to have a record setting campaign to match what Richard already invested in the company. But there is no reason to suggest that we can't also raise money from the community we are making the game for to get them involved too. 100% of the money raised in the Kickstarter will go to make a better game and the community involvement is a huge bonus for US."
  • bliss14bliss14 Member UncommonPosts: 595
    Eh, I can see the view of why spend money on it if he can afford it himself.  Or get investors.  But a kickstarter isn't all about needing the money, poeple can kick in money for perks too.  I think that's what it is about really.  Just a new form of pre-ordering in some cases.
  • GitmixGitmix Member UncommonPosts: 605

    Give the man a break. His father was an astronaut. His life long dream was to become one aswell but he couldn't due to bad eye sight. So he makes a fortune and manages to make his dream come true. I think we would all have done the same in his shoes.

    Next, the kickstarter thing. RG is a businessman and like all businessmen preparing a new venture, he looks for investors to share the risks with. That's how it works. Businessmen never go on ventures using exclusively their own cash, regardless of how rich they are.

     

  • leojreimrocleojreimroc Member UncommonPosts: 371
    Remember, people don't just give money for nothing either.  He was offering some very neat exclusive stuff for the higher tiers.  But also, like others have said, I'm sure that he's invested a lot of his own money as well.  Kickstarter is a way to get extra money and a way to get some early advertisement and community involvement.
  • BossalinieBossalinie Member UncommonPosts: 724

    Why would I spend my money if people are willing to contribute theirs? It's not like you have to. Can't get mad at a man making a business move that seems to be sweeping the genre.

    Support or don't support...no skin off anyone's hide.

  • AerowynAerowyn Member Posts: 7,928
    no clue what Richards net worth is for all I know he spent every dime he had to go to space.. but either way i'm sure he did put a good amount of money into the game already but these games do cost a good bit to make... and for me anything that keeps companies like EA away from developers I'm happy to support.

    I angered the clerk in a clothing shop today. She asked me what size I was and I said actual, because I am not to scale. I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it... so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential. --Mitch Hedberg

  • AwDiddumsAwDiddums Member UncommonPosts: 416

    You really didn't put much thought into this now did you.

    It's already been pointed out to you that RG has invested a considerable sum of his own wealth into the game. What they are now doing is offering investors a chance for them to become "Involved" with the project. The target has already been met and exceeded so there seems to be an overwhelming view that RG's game is worth it.

    Plus it's always nice to get in at the ground floor to get those lovely perks.

     

  • rooster99rooster99 Member UncommonPosts: 30
    i for one am happy he went this way about it,more money better product but whatever.
  • AticusWellesAticusWelles Member Posts: 152
    At least with fans supporting the project they are kept more in the loop about what's going on, I prefer that to having a turd dumped on the market with little to no input from the fans like EA and companies of its ilk typically do.
  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775

    Better to bet other people's money, than yours. That is why RG is asking for you to fund his projects.

    No difference than Wall Street.

  • TuchakaTuchaka Member UncommonPosts: 468
    companies in general borrow money to put into projects instead of using their own money that way a single project can't take down the whole company ....reality > how gamers wan't the world to be.
  • DauzqulDauzqul Member RarePosts: 1,982

    I don't understand what is so shocking about this.

    Why spend your own money when you can spend someone elses? Government has been doing it for years.

     

    But yeah, I can see where people would get upset. Imagine if EA had a kickstarter for SWTOR.

  • JyiigaJyiiga Member UncommonPosts: 1,187
    It is a good way to gauge interest. If you can't make a 1 million kickstarer for such a title, then there are not enough people to support it. 
  • bliss14bliss14 Member UncommonPosts: 595
     I gave fifty thousand myself, but I only get the top perk.  Garriott for life.
  • asmkm22asmkm22 Member Posts: 1,788
    Why would he fund it himself if there were means for him to do it from other sources?

    You make me like charity

  • AerowynAerowyn Member Posts: 7,928
    Originally posted by asmkm22
    Why would he fund it himself if there were means for him to do it from other sources?

    why would you think he isn't funding a good portion of the game himself? 

    I angered the clerk in a clothing shop today. She asked me what size I was and I said actual, because I am not to scale. I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it... so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential. --Mitch Hedberg

  • Slappy1Slappy1 Member Posts: 458
    Curt Shilling and 38 Studio's come's to mind,He put a lot of money up and look what happened.I can't blame Garriot at all and I'm sure he's spending a nice amount himself.

    Some day I'm going to put a sword through your eye and out the back of your skull!

    Arya Stark

  • severiusseverius Member UncommonPosts: 1,516
    Originally posted by Razeekster
    Like seriously this is the same guy who spent USD 30 million to go to space and he can't afford 1 million out of his own pocket? If Garriott truly wanted to make this game like he says he would have paid for it himself with his vast fortune.

    Crowd sourcing, or shop around to publishers like EA or UbiSoft who then gut your ideas to go with what their market analysts and focus testing has shown to have a greater likelihood of shipping x millions of units?  I'd go with crowd sourcing.

    http://www.speedtest.net/result/7300033012

    image
  • RazeeksterRazeekster Member UncommonPosts: 2,591
    I didn't realize he was also funding, but like I said, the man's a multimillionare. In all honesty he could have funded the game all by himself and still had tons of cash leftover. 

    Smile

  • huskie77huskie77 Member Posts: 354

    He used kickstarter to essentially partially fund the game with pre-sales. It's a smart way to gauge the potential market before sinking more of his own money. I had pledged money originally but pulled my funding after his arrogant and dismissive comments about current dev talents.

    I have been a lifelong fan of his and his story of programming in his closet as a teen, but his recent comments show that he is out of touch and I have little faith in the end product as a result. I hope that it ends up being fun for those who did back it.

    image
  • RaunuRaunu Member UncommonPosts: 480
    Originally posted by Razeekster
    I didn't realize he was also funding, but like I said, the man's a multimillionare. In all honesty he could have funded the game all by himself and still had tons of cash leftover. 

    Sounds to me like you're just upset that this guy has made a lot of money. Why should he fund the entire game himself? Big deal, he is a multimillionare, he was smart enough to make decisions that made him a lot of money.

     

    You shouldn't care who is putting an idea for a project up, or how much money the person putting the project up has. Judge the project on it's on merrits. Do you agree with all the information set forth in the presentation enough to donate some money?  If yes, then go ahead and donate. If no, then don't.  Why does it matter how much money the person starting the project has?

    - - "What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?" - -

  • darker70darker70 Member UncommonPosts: 804

    Op I'm not sure if you understand the revolution of crowd sourceing,thus a business man as sharp as Garriott saw the potential with Chris Roberts and  SC and  this bloke is so smooth he could sell ice to the eskimo's !

    So with the success of SC and as they are mates why the hell not start a Kickstarter it would be madness to turn down a chance to join in the biggest social revolution since Facebook and social media,plus he does seem to be really enjoying sticking it to the man and what better way than a crowd source game it proves that EA don't actually know what  an actual fanbase garnered over decades really want and Shroud of the Avatar is fulfilling that need especially in the old school gaming crowd,also really helps when you get free publicity and somebody like Richard is rather fond of the limelight so really it was a no brainer for Garriott to use this method to part fund the game.

     

     

    p>
  • DrakynnDrakynn Member Posts: 2,030

    well it's good to see RG putting at least some of his money where his recently very loud mouth is,but I think this movie quote applies to producing games as well.

     

    "Max Bialystock: The two cardinal rules of producing. One: Never put your own money in the show.

    Leo Bloom: And two?

    Max Bialystock: [yelling] Never put your own money in the show!"

  • RedempRedemp Member UncommonPosts: 1,136

     The entire kickstarter scene confounds me, it literally screams that people are bad with their money. Granted I am just as bad with mine, but at the very least the wastes I dabble in are all tangible at the end of the day. Why would anyone EVER give more than the box cost of a game? The in-game rewards? Most people can't look past tomorrow.

     

    Ah well ... Yolo I guess , you know what they say about fools and their money.

  • RazeeksterRazeekster Member UncommonPosts: 2,591
    Originally posted by Raunu
    Originally posted by Razeekster
    I didn't realize he was also funding, but like I said, the man's a multimillionare. In all honesty he could have funded the game all by himself and still had tons of cash leftover. 

    Sounds to me like you're just upset that this guy has made a lot of money. Why should he fund the entire game himself? Big deal, he is a multimillionare, he was smart enough to make decisions that made him a lot of money.

     

    You shouldn't care who is putting an idea for a project up, or how much money the person putting the project up has. Judge the project on it's on merrits. Do you agree with all the information set forth in the presentation enough to donate some money?  If yes, then go ahead and donate. If no, then don't.  Why does it matter how much money the person starting the project has?

    Because it shows greed. I don't want to support someone's project when they don't even need that support. I'd rather give my money and support to another project where I know the person actually does need that money to get his/her project off the ground and running.

     

    Also in reply to some other people: Their other ways to see if their is an audience for a certain game. One simple thing that comes up is just by asking the community or/and even doing a poll. So that excuse is a pretty bad one in my opinion.

    Smile

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