The Kickstarter for Pinkerton Road’s Moebius offered all backers the chance to participate in the development of the game. Jane called this “Community Supported Gaming”, a throwback to the idea of “Community Supported Agriculture”. This basically meant that anyone who pledged money to the campaign gave it up front with the expectation of reaping the benefits offered at a later date. Complete with the risks and rewards associated with crowdfunding.

The Pinkerton Road forums, including the backer-only section

Everyone who pledged, either through Kickstarter or PayPal, were given a “virtual seat” at Pinkerton throughout the entire cycle. And the more they gave the more they receive. At the lowest level people get access to monthly updates and the backer-only section of the forums. These include music samples, artwork, wallpapers, and other exclusive behind-the-scenes information as it comes in.

Another offering was access to early beta builds to test and give feedback about Moebius. Jane has taken some of these suggestions and implemented changes based on this feedback, as shown in the previous blog entry on the analysis puzzles.

Most of the rest of the tiers involved getting swag, such as physical copies of the game, soundtrack, t-shirts, and other incentives. Including a trip to the Pinkerton Road open house to meet Jane and Robert and to see a live concert performed by The Scarlet Furies. Most tiers are cumulative, meaning that everything at that level and below they would get. So, the more they gave the more they’ll get. And the higher the tier the better the reward.

The cover image for the Kickstarter campaign

The CSG is a way for those interested in how game development works and to have a say in shaping Moebius. By being transparent and open about the game, it gives a better insight into all that goes into making it. The first cycle will be wrapping up with Moebius and the 20th anniversary of Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, both promised as part of the Kickstarter. Should this model prove to be a success, there’s the possibility of having another cycle for Community Supported Gaming.

Serena Nelson
Social Media Intern
Phoenix Online Studios