When Double Fine's campaign to fund a new point-and-click adventure game reached its funding goal in record time, I did a little graph of how all the donation options contributed to the enormous sum they ended up with. Four days later, it's nearly quadrupled that amount.
So now that they've passed 1.6 million dollars, do the contributions break down differently? Yes! The graph above shows how much money each donation option made - blue bars are from last week, red bars are today's figures. Now for some interesting stats, and what they mean.
The total money raised is up by 272% of its previous figure, but the individual donation amounts haven't increased at the same rate. To be clear, "up by 100%" means it's doubled.
PLEDGE $15 OR MORE - up 463%
The finished game in all of its awesome glory on Steam, exclusive access to the PC Beta on Steam, access to the video series, and access the private discussion community.
PLEDGE $30 OR MORE - up 375%
HD download of the documentary series with extras, Digital game soundtrack, and all previous reward tiers.
PLEDGE $100 OR MORE - up 246%
Original “Double Fine Adventure” poster (suitable for framing) exclusive to the campaign, special thanks in the game's credits, and all previous reward tiers. (posters will be shipped for free in the US, and for $10 internationally)
PLEDGE $250 OR MORE - up 204%
“Double Fine Adventure” Poster autographed by Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert, and the rest of the design team, and all previous reward tiers.
PLEDGE $1,000 OR MORE - up 223%
Mini portrait of YOU, painted by the game's artist, and all previous reward tiers.
The trend is a massive shift towards the cheaper options, to the point that the $15 option has now made more money than both the $100 and the $250.
It makes sense for three reasons: firstly, the most passionate and supportive fans of Tim Schafer and Ron Gilbert's point-and-click stuff are likely to have heard about this pretty sharpish, and put their money down without hesitation.
Secondly, the project is already funded. It's still worth donating if you want the rewards, and to show support, but it's no longer necessary for the project's survival. Lastly, most of the extremely pricey top-tier options were limited, and now they're gone.
Still, $15 is a significant price to pay for a game that doesn't even exist yet. And despite the shift towards that option, 45% of the 47,000 people who've paid for this unknown game have ponied up double that or more for a special edition.
Again, it's an incredible show of support for some heroes of PC gaming, and a genre most publishers won't touch.
