Yogventures
From Invertopedia, the encyclopedia of how things fail
Yogventures was a sandbox game based on the YouTube channel the Yogscast, built by a small studio, Winterkewl Games[1]. Its 2012 Kickstarter asked for $250,000[3] and raised $567,665 from 13,647 backers[4][1]. In July 2014 the project was cancelled with no game, and the developer said refunds were unlikely[1][7]. Backers were given keys for other games instead[1][6].
Contents
The bet
The Yogscast's audience would pay up front for a game starring the channel's characters, and a six-person indie team would turn the money into a finished sandbox game, with a release planned for 2014[7]. The Kickstarter page presented the Yogscast and Winterkewl as partners[5], so backers were buying the names they knew as much as the studio building it.
What happened
| 2012 | Winterkewl Games launches a Kickstarter for Yogventures, based on Yogscast characters, with a $250,000 goal.[3][2] |
|---|---|
| 2012 | The campaign closes at $567,665 from 13,647 backers, more than double the goal.[4][1][3] |
| Feb 2014 | The last development update is posted.[3] |
| Mid-2014 | Winterkewl stops work on the game.[1][5] |
| Jul 17, 2014 | Yogscast co-founder Lewis Brindley emails backers that the project had proved too ambitious and difficult for the six-man team to complete, and offers a Steam Early Access key for another game, TUG.[1] |
| Jul 2014 | Winterkewl's lead developer, Kris Vale, says refunds are unlikely, the studio will probably go out of business, and the Yogscast now owns all the work done.[7] |
| Jul 2014 | In a last Kickstarter update, Vale says about $415,000 was left after Kickstarter and Amazon fees and the team "used every cent" on the game.[4] |
| Jul 25, 2014 | Brindley says the Yogscast's $150,000 share of the Kickstarter money went on physical rewards, shipping and marketing, including an E3 2012 booth.[8] |
| Sep 2014 | Backers are also given a key for another game, Landmark.[6][2] |
The kill shot
The money arrived before the plan. A six-person studio took on a game that, by both sides' own accounts, was too big for it to finish.
Brindley told backers the project had proved too ambitious and difficult for a six-man team to complete[1], and the Yogscast's statement called its scope "too vast"[5][3]. Vale said that "right off the bat we had one major incident that happened that we could not fix"[4], and that limiting the scope and making a solid plan for closer work with the Yogscast would have produced "a real stand-out achievement in the indie game world"[7].
The campaign raised more than twice what it asked for[3], but the team stayed at six[1]. Backers had pledged for extras up to a $10,000 tier, which five people chose, and rewards that depended on the finished game could not be delivered once it was gone[1].
Red flags ignored
- Double the money, same team. The goal was $250,000 and the pledges came to more than twice that[3], for a team of six[1].
- The famous name was not the builder. The page linked the Yogscast to the project, but Winterkewl Games, LLC ran the campaign, which left it unclear who owed backers what[5].
- Rewards tied to a game that didn't exist yet. Many rewards only made sense inside the finished game, so they could not be delivered when it was cancelled[1].
- Months of silence. The last development update came in February 2014, five months before the cancellation[3].
- No money held back for failure. When it ended, the studio said it would likely be unable to offer refunds[7].
The cost
13,647 backers pledged $567,665[1][4]. About $415,000 was left after Kickstarter and Amazon fees[4], and the Yogscast received $150,000 of the Kickstarter money. Brindley said a contract with Winterkewl set that split and that the money went on rewards, shipping, marketing and supporting the project for close to three years; Vale's account was that no formal contract was ever signed[8].
No refunds were confirmed[5]. The Yogscast said it was under no obligation to act but would try to "make this right"[1], and backers got a TUG key and later a Landmark key in place of the game[1][6].
The inversion
An audience isn't a team. Before you take the money, check who will actually build it, size the project to that team, and keep the plan from growing just because the pledges did.
What survived
The work, though not as a game. The Yogscast was given ownership of everything made for Yogventures[7], and the assets were passed to Nerd Kingdom, the developer of TUG[3][6]. The Yogscast's partnerships with TUG and Landmark became the backers' consolation[1][6].
References
- ^ “Yogscast cancels Kickstarter-funded game”. MCV/Develop, July 17, 2014. The six-man Winterkewl team, the 13,647 backers, the cancellation, Lewis Brindley's email to backers and quotes, the TUG key, the $10,000 tier, Kris Vale on refunds.
- ^ “Yogscast”. Wikipedia. Supplementary: the 2012 Kickstarter, its $250,000 goal and the September 2014 Landmark key.
- ^ “Yogscast game cancelled, Kickstarter backers given other rewards”. KitGuru (Jon Martindale), July 18, 2014. The $250,000 goal, raising more than double, the February 2014 last update, "too vast in scope", assets handed to Nerd Kingdom.
- ^ “Winterkewl explains where Yogventures' Kickstarter funds went”. MCV, July 21, 2014. $567,665 pledged, about $415,000 after Kickstarter and Amazon fees, Vale's last Kickstarter update and quotes.
- ^ “YogsCast Kickstarter game 'Yogventures!' cancelled - A legal perspective”. Game Developer (Zachary Strebeck), July 17, 2014. The cancellation, the Yogscast's "too vast" statement, Winterkewl Games, LLC as the campaign's creator, the partnership wording on the Kickstarter page, no confirmed refunds.
- ^ “Yogventures gives Landmark keys as additional consolation gifts”. Engadget (Justin Olivetti), September 8, 2014. The Landmark keys, the TUG keys, assets transferred to Nerd Kingdom.
- ^ “Yogscast Kickstarter game cancelled; backers 'unlikely' to be refunded”. MCV, July 17, 2014. The planned 2014 release, Vale's Reddit statements on refunds, closing the studio, Yogscast ownership of the work and the scope reflection.
- ^ “Yogscast statement addresses Yogventures Kickstarter funding questions”. PC Gamer (Andy Chalk), July 25, 2014. Brindley's statement on the contract with Winterkewl and the $150,000 Yogscast share; Vale's account that no formal contract was signed.