Anmelden
Can a Publisher Serve Backers with Different Budgets?
“The largest U.S. carriers seek to capture corporate travelers and affluent leisure passengers who are willing to pay more for comfort. Increasingly, airlines are betting on selling fewer seats at higher yields rather than packing planes more densely with standard economy passengers.” —NTD
Here’s how one might rewrite this quote if it were about tabletop crowdfunding:
“Tabletop publishers seek to capture affluent gamers and those who want to focus on fewer, deluxified games. Increasingly, publishers are betting on selling expensive games (lower total quantities) at higher yields rather than lower-priced games (higher total quantities) at lower margins.”
Two recent examples are Brass Pittsburgh and Slay the Spire: Downfall. Both campaigns are impeccably crafted and highly successful: Even just a few days in, they’ve raised close to $7 million combined.
If I wanted to pledge to the highest core levels for both campaigns ($425 for the game and expansion for Slay the Spire and $350 for all three Brass games), I would spend close to $800. Out of around 31,000 backers between the two campaigns, close to 3,000 people have already backed at those levels (around 10%). These top pledges have raised around $1 million out of the combined $7 million total (around 14%).
Clearly there is an audience for these top-tier reward levels, particularly for highly acclaimed games that have earned their value (Brass Birmingham is ranked #1 on BoardGameGeek; Slay the Spire is #18). Perhaps at least part of this stems from hobby gamers with bursting collections who want to focus on fewer, fancier games.
Unlike airlines, however, there isn’t limited space on a crowdfunding campaign–these publishers have found a way to serve more budget-conscious backers too. Roxley included a $79 reward for Brass Pittsburgh (821 backers) and Contention Games included an $84 reward (2325 backers) for the Downfall expansion.
Another example is Garden Club, which has a $39 level and a $69 level on Kickstarter now. Chris Couch Games can serve both budget-conscious backers who just want the game and wealthier backers who want everything.
Here’s my hope: Selling some premium, high-margin products can help publishers maintain lower prices for the masses.
What do you think? How do you feel as a consumer right now, and what would you like publishers to learn from these campaigns? Is there such thing as an economy that serves all types of people?
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