With the Amplitude Kickstarter down to its last week, Harmonix is responding to questions about why they don’t just bring in an outside publisher to give them the monies they need for the successor to the PS2-era rhythm game.
The money’s just not there, Harmonix explained in a recent blog post.
Laying out the studio’s MO for developing games (and providing a little bit of business background for the company since it went independent from Viacom), Harmonix publishing director John Drake details how the studio spends its time (and its money) when not pursuing “passion projects” like Amplitude. Drake explains where those Rock Band monies went, and how the $750k Kickstarter effort would only account for half of Amplitude‘s total budget:
Amplitude is a game that our team is so excited about and that has such dedicated and vocal fans, that we just KNOW it needs to be realized. In a situation like this – a project that’s too expensive for us to fund on our own with our limited resources, a game that people want us to make, and a game where a publisher isn’t willing to provide development funding – this is the scenario where we need the help of the fans to fund a game. This is a passion project that needs support and backing to take flight.
Drake goes on to defend Amplitude as Kickstart-worthy effort: just because they’re a studio with some high-profile successes under their belt, that doesn’t mean they can’t appeal directly to the fans for help with a project. And given the scope and nature of the project, Harmonix has no plans to approach major publishers to get it made (hence the crowdfunding campaign).
So far, the PS3 and PS4 Amplitude Kickstarter campaign is up to nearly $300,000. But with a week to go, it still needs help reaching its goal.
Will you be chipping in a few bucks to keep Amplitude afloat? Should this project even be on Kickstarter?
