Shantae kickstarter appears with a rather enticing top-tier reward...

[recorderdude]

Over the last 23 years WayForward has developed more than 200 licensed titles, our most recent being Ducktales: Remastered. When circumstances permit, we also make weird and wonderful original games like Shantae and the Mighty Series.

In all that time, fan letters, support emails and interviewers have made our most frequently asked question, “Why don't you guys make more original games?”

Kickstarter allows us to do just that! With your help we can create a large-scale multi-console game that's well beyond our usual self-publishing budgets.

Best of all, we have our ducks in a row. Half-Genie Hero is already confirmed for Wii U, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Steam (Windows PC). All we need now is...your support!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1236620800/shantae-half-genie-hero

So yeah, new Shantae game may (oh, who am I kidding) WILL happen. It's gotten 100k on its first day and is likely to get much more.

Now, you're likely thinking "But recorderdude! What does this have to do with classic gaming and collecting? This new shantae is a MODERN game!"



Pledge $10,000 or more
ORIGINAL SHANTAE + WRAP PARTY: When you arrive at WayForward HQ, you'll receive the ultra-rare granddaddy of video game collectables: a FACTORY SEALED SHANTAE for the Game Boy Color! Yes, we recently unearthed 3 of these when moving to our new location. You'll get one -- along with the option of having it signed by the original team. Travel and accommodations not provided. [ALL PREVIOUS REWARDS INCLUDED!]

Limited (2 of 3 remaining)


Even though a sealed shantae probably isn't worth anywhere near 10K, it ain't cheap, and it comes with all the other perks. At least to one person out there, it was worth it.

Such a system brings up an interesting question...

How do you feel about prized collectible games being utilized as donation rewards for related reboots? unrelated reboots? Personally, as a "find" collector myself I could care less either way, due to the fact that I neither have nor spend that much on anything, but I'm sure this forum hosts a variety of opinions on it all other than mine.

[o.pwuaioc]

The next tier down is $5,000, so that means a brand-new Shantae costs $5,000, and I don't think I would ever pay that much for a single video game. So no, not worth it to me. I don't think I have a problem with the idea in general though.

Also, too bad they didn't include the Ouya, too.

[skaar]

Kickstarter for commercial devs is really starting to irk me.

[JSoup]

I saw that original Shantae reward last night and was wonder if someone would be making a topic about it.

In any case, $10K seems a bit much for a game, regardless of how good or rare it is. This isn't NintendoAge, after all, I can't see someone donating just for the damn copy. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing this funded. The first two Shantae games were amazing and I'm eagerly awaiting the third this Winter.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I've been a huge fan of Shantae since 2002 when I seemingly picked up the only copy of Shantae for miles around.

To say I am excited about this kickstarter is an understatement, especially given that it's planned to be coming to pretty much everything.

SO excited.

[y9784]

Kickstarter for commercial devs is really starting to irk me.


Try getting a publisher to agree funding a six platform release based on OK sales of a handheld game and the "potential" purchases of a cult following. By playing to their fans directly, companies like WayForward are more likely to get their game out the door.

They have the talent. How many developers have had their dreams squashed because their publisher changed their mind about whether the "project" would be profitable?

[JSoup]

It's kinda funny to think about, but the gaming industry would be a very different creature if we had Kickstarter in, say, the NES era.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I have no problem with Shantae going to kickstarter. In fact, I think it's an absolutely brilliant move. If kickstarter had been around ten years ago, Shantae Advance would have had a chance to came out, and the purposed Shantae GameCube/PS2/Xbox might have as well.


It's kinda funny to think about, but the gaming industry would be a very different creature if we had Kickstarter in, say, the NES era.

Eh, I dunno about that. NES games and modern games are very different - modern games cost significantly more to produce. An NES kickstarter project would have been hard to justify back then unless the devs had a fantastically good idea to begin with. I'm not saying that it wouldn't have been potentially awesome (there are many NES games that could have been made, like games based on 80's cartoons we didn't get games for, or movies, or just 80's pop culture).

[Gameguy]

Kickstarter for commercial devs is really starting to irk me.
I'd like to see a kickstarter for an Uwe Boll film, just so it can end with no backers.

[skaar]

Eh, ranting is overrated.

[recorderdude]

I'd like to see a kickstarter for an Uwe Boll film, just so it can end with no backers.

Post in a thread involving a half-genie? Your wish is half-granted.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1544635303/postal-2

[TheRedEye]

It's kinda funny to think about, but the gaming industry would be a very different creature if we had Kickstarter in, say, the NES era.

Development cost wasn't the issue in those days, it was the publishing side: paying Nintendo's fees, going through Nintendo for manufacturing, approvals, etc. And then manufacturing was a total crap shoot: underestimate demand and you're waiting another six months for a second run to hit shelves (by which time interest might be gone), overestimate and you've got a ton of dead stock to deal with and lots of money lost. Also you had no guarantee of how many would actually get manufactured vs. what you ordered since Nintendo controlled allocations and could, say, have a chip shortage that screws you.

The flipside was that there wasn't another video game crash...

[JSoup]

I guess it wouldn't have made much of a difference anyway. These days people flock to Kickstarter because a game concept either looks cool or is otherwise filling an empty hole. We didn't really see much of that during previous generations, up until the N64 days (and it might have just been the N64 at that....thing lacked a bit sometimes).

[goob47]

Kickstarter for commercial devs is really starting to irk me.

I very much agree. I think the only reason they do this is to test the market and see if others are as interested in this game as the backers. Plus they want more money. :|

[otaku]

the gbc game showed up on a wired article about collectors at pax I'm still kicking myself for not picking this up back when it was like $75 or about 10-20 (I can't quite recall) at a local gameshop back in the day. ugh

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I agree the bigger developers out there have no business on kickstarter, but this is Wayforward we're talking about here. Not only are they small, but everything they produce is excellent and few publishers have the foresight to see the brilliance of their projects.

in 2002 Wayforward released the original Shantae with Capcom agreeing to publish a limited release. Even that was a miracle given that:

1. Shantae was for the GBC, a year after the GBA was released
2. Shantae was a new IP from a mostly unknown developer
3. The lead protagonist was female, meaning young boys (the primary target audience of the GBC) would likely ignore it
4. Shantae was a sexy character, not a cartoonish kid friendly character


Shantae is without a doubt the single most impressive game for the GameBoy Color both technically and artistically. It manages to assemble Castlevania-like platforming, Metroid-like exploration, Zelda-like dungeons and still bring new material to the table in a package that absolutely shines. The lucky few that played it back when it was released knew of the gold Wayforward had struck, which is why it was so frustrating for us early Shantae fans when slowly Shantae Advance got delayed, and delayed, and then cancelled - because they couldn't find a publisher who didn't site poor sales of the GBC game as a reason they weren't interested.

If there's any game series that deserves to be on kickstarter, it's Shantae. Wayforward has a vision that needs to be fulfilled, and I sincerely hope this campaign succeeds and they sell a million copies. Shantae deserves it.

[JSoup]

I agree the bigger developers out there have no business on kickstarter, but this is Wayforward we're talking about here. Not only are they small, but everything they produce is excellent and few publishers have the foresight to see the brilliance of their projects.

in 2002 Wayforward released the original Shantae with Capcom agreeing to publish a limited release. Even that was a miracle given that:

1. Shantae was for the GBC, a year after the GBA was released
2. Shantae was a new IP from a mostly unknown developer
3. The lead protagonist was female, meaning young boys (the primary target audience of the GBC) would likely ignore it
4. Shantae was a sexy character, not a cartoonish kid friendly character


Shantae is without a doubt the single most impressive game for the GameBoy Color both technically and artistically. It manages to assemble Castlevania-like platforming, Metroid-like exploration, Zelda-like dungeons and still bring new material to the table in a package that absolutely shines. The lucky few that played it back when it was released knew of the gold Wayforward had struck, which is why it was so frustrating for us early Shantae fans when slowly Shantae Advance got delayed, and delayed, and then cancelled - because they couldn't find a publisher who didn't site poor sales of the GBC game as a reason they weren't interested.

If there's any game series that deserves to be on kickstarter, it's Shantae. Wayforward has a vision that needs to be fulfilled, and I sincerely hope this campaign succeeds and they sell a million copies. Shantae deserves it.

*slow clap*

[razeak]

I like kickstarter even when it's done by successful companies. It's low risk high reward and it's giving a lot of projects a better shot at release.