Crowdfunding for Eternal Darkness successor off to sluggish start

The first two days of a crowdfunding project are very important. Most giant Kickstarters, those with funding goals north of $750,000, tend to raise the bulk of their cash in the first 24 to 48 hours.

That’s not what is happening with Precursor Games’ Shadow of the Eternals. The Canadian-based company, composed primarily of former Silicon Knights employees, is looking to fund a spiritual successor to the 2002 GameCube horror title Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. After two days, it isn’t even at a 10th of its goal.

[phantomexe]

err not that i care but last i seen it was 100k which is preety good in 2 days. Just saying 30 days is alot of time for 1.5. Person that wrote this is trying to be a debbie downer. Could this be for hits???

[JeffGrubb]

Did you read the article? Lots of evidence showing most crowdfunding campaigns that make this little in their first two days don't make much more than $600,000.

[JeffGrubb]

It's cute how everyone 'disagreeing' is kidding themselves.

[NewMonday]

this has problems for 2 main reasons:

* the Developers got a bad reputation over their last projects, and the targeted fund raising fans tend to know the problems very well, reputation matters with Crowdfunding/Kickstarter.

* PC gamers are the main source of funding, Eternal Darkness was on the Gamecube, and the big Kickstarter winners were mainly successors of legacy PC games.

edit: oof46 brings up another important issue " Precursor is not using Kickstarter. It's a similar program. If they do not meet their goal, but they raise enough money to work on the game, they keep it"

the developers tried to address this buy saying money could be refunded, but I don't know how the terms are clear for that.

[oof46]

No, it is a fact. Crowd source funding usually explodes at the start, has a long lull in the middle, and if the project is underachieving, a bunch of people pledge at the end and a project meets it's goal. (EDIT): These are cases in which the project meets it's goal.

But Precursor is not using Kickstarter. It's a similar program. If they do not meet their goal, but they raise enough money to work on the game, they keep it.

While a sequel to Eternal Darkness is exciting, Dennis Dyack and company soured a lot of people with Too Human and X-Men: Destiny and Dyack's behavior to fans. There is bad history with Activision in which they misused money. This is why, in my opinion, they had to go crowd source. No publisher wants to give them money after seeing how they totally misled Activision as to what they were doing with X-M:D money.

[jimbobwahey]

Yeah, Denis Dyack is a liar and a fraud, and I'm glad to see that most people are smart enough to stay well away from his crowdfunding efforts for this game.

The guy's a total scumbag that makes terrible games (anybody remember Too Human?!) when he's not busy getting himself banned from popular gaming communities such as NeoGaf.

Hopefully once his crowdfunding efforts fail it will be the last we hear from him, because this industry is much better off without his kind.

[_-EDMIX-_]

I'll put some money to make that happen AND its coming to PC so I don't need to waste money on that toy brick known as Wii U......great. Now where do I pay...huh...Denis Dyack is working on it?

nope. Now I just don't care, I just don't care anymore.

[swice]

@ oof46 - "But Precursor is not using Kickstarter. It's a similar program. If they do not meet their goal, but they raise enough money to work on the game, they keep it"

Didn't they say that if they didn't reach their goal, they would refund all pledges?

"We are committed to making this game. However, if it becomes apparent that we cannot raise enough to develop this project then we will refund all pledges."

[JeffGrubb]

@swice "If we don't have enough to develop" isn't the same as reaching their goal. They said their goal is "flexible" and they won't define what that means.

[3-4-5]

Such a generic name for a game. That alone makes me not even want to read into the game at all.

Why don't dev's realize this ?

[deantak]

uh oh

[Qrphe]

Well, I would assume many are just distrusting Silicon Knights after their record. Not only that the sum is ambitious in itself even for Kickstarters standards.

[--Onilink--]

Well if i had to guess a big part of the problem is that they are not using any big known crowd funding services. They are just acceptong them on their website

[maniacmayhem]

I'm shocked that Nintendo hasn't swooped in and picked up this game seeing how Eternal Darkness is a celebrated game for the Gamecube.

[swice]

I agree, but this is what they said about Publishers:

"The primary reason to crowdfund Shadow of the Eternals is because it allows us to work directly with our fans, and gain valuable feedback in developing the project. We can develop a rapport with our audience that would otherwise be difficult in a traditional setting.

Secondly, the games industry is currently in a state in which publishers no longer take chances on a project like this. We feel that the best way to bring this title to the public is to release it independently."

http://www.precursorgames.c...

Just above the middle of the page.

[oof46]

That could be true. But it could also be that publishers are antsy about giving them money after the SK debacle. Here's the link you should read.
http://kotaku.com/5955223/w...

Also, why wouldn't a publisher take a chance on a sequel to a game that sold well and had critical and fan acclaim? Doesn't make sense.

[swice]

That is a HUGE article. I will have to get to it later tonight. If I'm correct, these are only a few people from Silicon Knights, right?

What if they've already had offers from publishers, but declined them for the reason that I quoted? Or could this be Precursor hiding the fact that they haven't had ANY offers?

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

It will take a while...

Plus, it will only on WiiU (for a while)-
they need to be mentioned at E3 where more people will be listening.

If they expected instant results...

[JeffGrubb]

The fund drive ends on June 7. E3 starts June 9. Also, it is an indie game. They won't get mentioned at E3.

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

"Helpful"

Thanks for the information, even though it is bleak.

I'm not sure. I don't know if they wouldn't get mentioned. Nintendo is really courting Indies and Smartphone/Tablet Developers giving-out free middleware.

I am sure that they will be doing a lot of meet and greet articles, and Interviews with the Press about Indies.

At the very least, it could spill over into Nintendo Directs.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

with Dennis Dyack still a major part I am not shocked there is a slow uptake.

[Morgue]

Probably because in the IGN interview he said it would only be released for the PC and Nintendo. Sorry but I'm not buying a PC or WiiU just for one game.

[_-EDMIX-_]

It has to do with Denis Dyack working on it. Star Citizen is a PC only title and its at like 9 million! I'm telling you, its cause Dyack's crazy self is working on it. I literally stopped caring after I read he was working on it.

Too Human anyone? LOL!

[swice]

"We will be focusing on the PC and Wii U. Other platforms may be added in the future if desired by the community and the right funding goals are met."

http://www.precursorgames.c...

Project FAQ at the very bottom of the page.

[bitboi]

I think a big factor in the slow start to is that it's not actually on Kickstarter or Indego...2 platforms that people are very familiar with.

[BigDuo]

They can't do Kickstarter because it doesn't support developers based in Canada.They'll need to get more crafty to make it happen. Unfortunately, the current rate of donations will not be enough to meet even half of their financial goal.

I really hope Nintendo steps in to assist in any way, but given how the developer is a new studio with just 8 current staff members, any major publisher would hesitate to just give them money.

Any major publisher would likely hesitate to fund a game like this based on a new studio with less than 10 current staff members. It is unlikely Nintendo has been willing to publish it, but perhaps it could find other ways to assist based on Iwata's previous statements regarding third party partnerships to get more titles on Wii U.

[Thepcz]

nintendo need to buy the exclusive rights for this game

[gaminoz]

If you make it for a next gen console with a small install base, and PC where there are huge numbers of games, of course it will be off to a sluggish start. Should have made it ios or on the 2 major consoles still moving at the moment if they wanted crowdfunding.

[Gr81]

Does Dyack and co have to resort to crowd funding? If they are confident in their game why aren't they able to receive loans or grants?

The gamers will support the games they want after they release. If your game is appealing it will sell if not...it won't.

[7uff1]

Hopefully they get it, looks awesome

[Benjaminkno]

The DARKNESS comes!!