Blips: All Stretched Out

Source: Lioness gets funded on Kickstarter with 3 weeks to go, refuses stretch goals
Author: Mike Suszek
Site: Joystiq

Kickstarter stories are a dime a dozen these days, so it's worth noting when crowd-funding game developers eschew the typical fundraising narrative. In the case of a game called Lioness, which has exceeded its $7,000 target several weeks before its deadline, devs Zak Ayles and Phillip Lanzbom have decided to not implement fundraising stretch goals. Stretch goals for games typically include additional content for a game that expands or opens up an opportunity for greater detail than the original target funding would allow. The Lioness creators have decided stretch goals are not for them, saying, "We disagree with the idea that there's any direct correlation between quality and scope in a project like this. When you force a game or film past its own scope and design it just begins to cannibalize its own narrative and vision by stretching it until it breaks."

With this statement, Ayles and Lanzbom are effectively calling for other game devs seeking Kickstarter funding to pitch the complete game they actually want to make and set the budget up front as the target amount. In the short time since Kickstarter has exploded in the game funding scene, it has evolved it's own ecosystem of rules and practices. Some people claim that you should ask for less than you actually need for a game in hopes of over-funding a project, bringing the total funding amount to the level actually needed.These kinds of tactics can feel a bit slimy, so it's refreshing to see a developers be clear and honest about what they can and can't do with more money than they originally asked for. While this may make them less Kickstarter savvy, it does make me want to support Lioness and whatever they do after that all the more.