The process of game design has many steps, and creating the game is just step one. Crowdfunding has become one of the fastest ways to achieve funding for your project and bringing it to life. Today we bring you a success story Reventure Orbtale, a game designed on Tabletop Creator and funded by the support of a loyal following though the Kickstarter platform.
Context
Pixelatto is an independent video game development studio based in Spain that became known for its action adventure game “Reventure” released in 2019. After this success, the team decided to create a new board game based on the same universe called Reventure Orbtale.
To fund this project, they launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter in 2021 and in just a month, with 1.551 backers, managed to get nearly 400% of their intended goal!
Reventure (2019)
Reventure was lovingly made in 2019 by the Pixelatto team, and it has received a lot of praise from thousands of players.
The main factor behind it’s virality is the fact that it’s a game of endless possibilities. Reventure is an adventure game with 100 different endings. The player is the protagonist, a wannabe hero who is supposed to do hero-ish things, but sometimes blows that off and does crazy stuff instead. Why? Because they have full control!
The game is full of “Aha!” moments as the player discovers the different ways that your choices can affect the outcome of the story. They can unlock a variety of new content, including playable characters, hints, costumes, visual effects, and more. There are also tons of secrets and pop-culture references to find by the players.
The Kickstarter Campaign Goal
The goal of the campaign was to raise 20.000€ in one month to fund the development of the game. In addition, with the launch on Kickstarter backers were offered different rewards, from discounts to merchandising of the chosen game character.
Milestones where added which included new characters and content for every 250 backers. However, and this is something to have in mind if you are a future game designer and want to sell your project through kickstarter, there were also social media milestones, perfect to make sure your audience makes your work go viral.
About Reventure Orbtale
“Beautiful art, absurd humor and 20 minute fantasy adventures, conveniently packed into a Reventure tabletop game”
In Orbtale, you assume the role of one of 12 heroes on a quest to gather the 4 magical orbs that, according to legend, grant wishes to those who gather them. Each hero has a unique ability. Throughout the adventure, you will find more than 40 magical weapons and artifacts to take on opponents.
The game has notable features, such as a simultaneous turn system, simplified combat (‘rock-paper-scissors’ type), an automatic resurrection mechanic, and frantic matches that last approximately 20 minutes.
If you are interested on trying it for yourself you can access the game’s free demo on steam through this link!
Crowdfunding results
The Kickstarter campaign was a resounding success. Reventure Orbtale managed to raise in under 24 hours 100% of their funding. Amazing! During the month that the campaign was active, the Pixelatto team managed to achieve nearly $80,000 from 1,500 backers, that’s 400% of the initial requested amount. This allowed the team to improve and expand the game, including new features and game modes.
Every time a new milestone was achieve, a new character was unlocked, more cards where added, new special content was released… again if you are planning on releasing your own project, this is a very effective way to keep your audience engaged.
Like most indie games that fundraise their proyects with the support of their fans, there are some ups and downs. Delivery times have been slower than planned, however that didn’t stop the Pixelatto team from doing what they had to to make sure their backers kept informed.
By now Spanish backers have received their games and there has been a very good response on their side. Back in may, European backers were informed that it wouldn’t be long until they to received their copy of the game, and following them all international backers will receive their copy. The team has been actively updating the backers as new changes happen.
What do reviewers say?
Dam Kalloh (La Mesa de Dam):
“Orbtale is one of those quick and random games that always leaves you wanting a rematch”
Guinxu:
“Each time that the game gets so crazy that it seems to be broken, everything ends up conecting and becomes more interesting and funny”
Analysis Paralysis:
“A game that’s all about the interaction between players. With more strategy than the average game, because after you play your cards, you get to keep them for your next turns”
Lessons Learned
The Reventure: Orbtale Kickstarter campaign was a success story due to several factors. First, the team had already had success with their previous game, which allowed them to have a strong and loyal fan base. In addition, the team worked hard to create a demo of the game that clearly showed the concept and quality of the game. Finally, the team offered a variety of attractive rewards to incentivize backers to contribute.
In short, the Reventure: Orbtale Kickstarter campaign allowed the team to fund and improve their game. This campaign is an example of how a solid demo, a loyal fan base and attractive rewards can help a video game development team succeed in a campaign.
💡 You can check the Reventure: Orbtale campaign on Kickstarter here.
