Developer Double Fine’s ambitious project to fund a new independent adventure game on Kickstarter raised a million dollars in one day.
They had hoped to raise $300,000. That took about eight hours. And there’s still thirty-one days to go.
What sort of project gets this much fan enthusiasm? Well, when the development team headed by Tim Schaefer promises both a classic-style point-and-click adventure game and the chance for Double Fine to produce a game largely free of outside corporate influence, the appeal is clear.
Backers of the project (anyone who contributed $15 or more) will receive several benefits. First and foremost, they get a copy of the finished product – and a chance to beta-test it. Backers can also take part in a private online community to directly discuss and receive updates on the project, submitting opinions to the devs, and even sometimes voting on undecided creative decisions. Additional rewards are available for those who donate more than $15.
Meanwhile, 2 Player Productions will be releasing a set of monthly video updates documenting the creative process to the backers.
“This documentary series will strive to make the viewer as much a part of the process as possible by showing a game grow from start to finish, with all the passion, humor, and heartbreak that happens along the way,” said the Kickstarter page on the project.
As of the writing of this post, over 42,600 backers have raised one and a half million dollars. The game is currently projected to ship around October 2012. For more information, visit the project page on Kickstarter.