Mantic's Recent Kickstarter

A huge congratulations to Mantic and their recent success on Kickstarter! For those who don't know Mantic, they're basically a group who broke off from Games Workshop and started creating models that could sort of pass for 40k and WHFB models if you squinted really hard (go ahead, ask me about my opinion of painting their Orx).

But it looks like they've finally struck out and given themselves a separate identity. They recently ran a Kickstarter project to fund their new game DreadBall - The Futuristic Sports Game. So how well did they do? Check it out.


                                 
                                                                   -jaw drop-
For those who can't quickly do such simple math in their head, that's nearly 3645% of their original goal!

What is Kickstarter?
Kickstarter is the most popular "crowd-source" funding website around. Creative geniuses of all sorts submit projects every day in the hopes of people from around the world giving money to help them fund a certain project. The projects I always keep an eye on are gaming related (surprise!), but I've seen things from funding a film, art project, and even a little boy's origami business.

However, this is 2012. We don't just give out money to people with an empty wallet and a head full of ideas, right? Therein lies the genius of Kickstarter. Take a look at any Kickstarter page; on the right side, you'll see several donation levels that usually start in the $5-10 range. Based on how much you donate, the Kickstarter owner will give you various goods at the successful conclusion of the project.

With Dreadball, for example, donation levels ranged from a digital copy of the rules, to getting a full copy of the game, and ending with having yourself cast as a MVP model in a future release (along with a TON of other goodies) for $5,000.

Mantic's success is a success for all gamers
Don't get me wrong, a 3,600% funding isn't a testament to how generous gamers are. Alot of Kickstarter projects appeal to our greedy sides - we gets good stuff for our money, often at a discount off of the likely MSRP of the goods.

But as I sat there toward the end, refreshing the Kickstarter page every few hours, I couldn't help but feel a little exhilarated. Here's a company with a game they want to make, but limited means to do it. So they reach out to us, showing us their dream and asking us to believe in it with them. And all they wanted was enough money to release the core game!

But then these gamers along and say "Oh you want $20,000? Too bad, this game looks so amazing that we want more than just the core game!"

That's what I love about Kickstarter. How I'd love to be in the Mantic office as they watch their initial goal get blown away, and then see it end with a success that they never imagined! Kickstarter is such a great way to watch people's dreams come true. And if you're a part of it, you get to share in their success. It always makes me smile when I see someone get funding for something they'd otherwise have difficulty funding, and celebrating their backers by letting them share in the project they made a reality.

So hats off to Mantic for stepping out of GW's shadow and creating what looks to be an amazing game!