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Atari are asking for investors to help fund the development of Rollercoaster Tycoon for the Nintendo Switch.

We are excited to share today that RollerCoaster Tycoon has launched an equity-based crowdfunding campaign with StartEngine to bring a new entry in the acclaimed RCT franchise to the Nintendo Switch!

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How much will it cost you to back the game? Just $250! Of course, you will earn your money back, IF the game sells enough units...

What do you think about this? If a company like Atari isn't confident enough to back the game 100% entirely, why should you?

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Rollercoaster Tycoon StartEngine Campaign

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[Fugelmir]

I don't understand how people could get excited for this.

 

[kumikochan]

Atari is not a big company, they employ under 400 employees, their times of glory are in the past. Atari Inc. (Atari S.A. subsidiary) had 10 employees as of 2014.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari,_Inc._(Atari,_SA_subsidiary)

Still bigger then a normal indie company and have enough funds otherwise they couldn't launch an entire new android console box thing

 

[FAST6191]

and have enough funds otherwise they couldn't launch an entire new android console box thing

Are they launching it or doing it as a joint development/name loan to some other company making old android boards? If people can make famiclone boards acceptably to do for them, and all the other crap I have seen something staple an old android tablet to this last year or two* then this might not be as great an undertaking as you seem be imagining.

*I have now finally seen a "smart TV" with an out and out android board in it, after having waited for years to see it. Was pretty good stuff but they had hosed up the wifi reception.

 

[kumikochan]

Are they launching it or doing it as a joint development/name loan to some other company making old android boards? If people can make famiclone boards acceptably to do for them, and all the other crap I have seen something staple an old android tablet to this last year or two* then this might not be as great an undertaking as you seem be imagining.

*I have now finally seen a "smart TV" with an out and out android board in it, after having waited for years to see it. Was pretty good stuff but they had hosed up the wifi reception.

To me it seems more that you're defending this greedy ass investment thingy

 

[FAST6191]

As I said earlier I have no problem with this in principle (either as an interest gauge) and quite like having.

The execution/numbers of this particular one leave something to be desired but that is a different matter.

That however has no great bearing on the discussion about the would be hardware thing they looking at putting together.

 

[_Chaz_]

Why does Atari need my help funding anything?
Considering that the latest entry in the series was a shameless cash grab full of micro-transactions, attempting to prey on the fans' nostalgia and providing a sub-par experience in return, I hope this project dies here.

 

[pedro702]

So they need 1.07 millions to make a RCT game? seriously? is that expensive to make such a low demanding game this days? this makes no sence they already have engines and such they dont need to invent the wheel or make ultra realistic 3d graphics, i have no idea why its needed 1.07 millions to make it lol.

 

[Deleted-355425]

So they need 1.07 millions to make a RCT game? seriously? is that expensive to make such a low demanding game this days? this makes no sence they already have engines and such they dont need to invent the wheel or make ultra realistic 3d graphics, i have no idea why its needed 1.07 millions to make it lol.

To port it, not make one from scratch lol.

 

[pedro702]

To port it, not make one from scratch lol.

1.07 millions to port a game srs? makes no sence to me...

 

[Deleted-355425]

1.07 millions to port a game srs? makes no sence to me...

Yeah i want what Atari is smoking these days... seems to be some good shit.

 

[Xandrid]

To port it, not make one from scratch lol.

That's even worse XD

 

[Mnecraft368]

Yay time for more mobile ports.

Also, $250 Minimum Donation? I mean come on that's so not fair!

 

[Deleted-355425]

Yay time for more mobile ports.

Also, $250 Minimum Donation? I mean come on that's so not fair!

You dont even get a copy of the game for that either

 

[Xandrid]

You dont even get a copy of the game for that either

Hell nah, I ain't spending a dime if I'm not even getting a copy of them game, they clearly don't know how this stuff works

 

[pedro702]

Hell nah, I ain't spending a dime if I'm not even getting a copy of them game, they clearly don't know how this stuff works

its not a crowd funding campaign, your not giving money to help, your being equity on the game so you buy a % of the game and if the game makes profit you get your share of profit, its not a normal kickstarted campaign, your just buing equity on the game sales and hope it sells enough for you to get your money back and more.

 

[FAST6191]

1 million is low?
Say 1 year to dev. A bit short from where I sit but if it is a port of sorts then so be it.

Not going to be too much so comparable late stage 3ds game
http://www.mobygames.com/game/3ds/cooking-mama-sweet-shop/credits
Some are dupes but 20 people sounds about right.

It is game industry so no need for big boy salaries and a top tier dev there probably gets paid what some java dev gets paid in the real world. I don't know where they are at these days so I can either do UK, fumble with French or some kind of US costing (
https://www.indeed.co.uk/Java-Developer-jobs
Call it 40 grand a year per person (by the time you paid pensions and other such taxes it surely will be, that also assumes you can con the whole team into such salaries -- accountants, HR and such tend to know what they are worth, on the other hand the £20k extra which goes to management you can probably take from your starving artist).

40000x20=800000

Office space.
20 person cubicle farm for a year.
http://www.flexioffices.co.uk/essex/colchester (not quite London but not in the sticks either).
You are doing well to pull off £200 per person per month.
200x20x12 = 48000 . Done with something other than flexi offices you might do better
No computers, no voice recording gear, no switch SDK but we will assume that already exists and does not need upkeep or replacement.
We are about £850K there. That is GBP which is quite an expensive place but the US (either California or New York) or France are not know as being cheap places to operate. Converted to USD that is 1.2 million at current rates and the GBP is in the toilet right now.

This also assumes no advertising. It is a rather large portion of such things. That said maybe they work it such that if after a year there is nothing to show it is only the silly crowd funding investors which get burned.

 

[Mnecraft368]

You dont even get a copy of the game for that either

If you give enough you get 25% off, thats all.

 

[pedro702]

1 million is low?
Say 1 year to dev. A bit short from where I sit but if it is a port of sorts then so be it.

Not going to be too much so comparable late stage 3ds game
http://www.mobygames.com/game/3ds/cooking-mama-sweet-shop/credits
Some are dupes but 20 people sounds about right.

It is game industry so no need for big boy salaries and a top tier dev there probably gets paid what some java dev gets paid in the real world. I don't know where they are at these days so I can either do UK, fumble with French or some kind of US costing (
https://www.indeed.co.uk/Java-Developer-jobs
Call it 40 grand a year per person (by the time you paid pensions and other such taxes it surely will be, that also assumes you can con the whole team into such salaries -- accountants, HR and such tend to know what they are worth, on the other hand the £20k extra which goes to management you can probably take from your starving artist).

40000x20=800000

Office space.
20 person cubicle farm for a year.
http://www.flexioffices.co.uk/essex/colchester (not quite London but not in the sticks either).
You are doing well to pull off £200 per person per month.
200x20x12 = 48000 . Done with something other than flexi offices you might do better
No computers, no voice recording gear, no switch SDK but we will assume that already exists and does not need upkeep or replacement.
We are about £850K there. That is GBP which is quite an expensive place but the US (either California or New York) or France are not know as being cheap places to operate. Converted to USD that is 1.2 million at current rates and the GBP is in the toilet right now.

This also assumes no advertising. It is a rather large portion of such things. That said maybe they work it such that if after a year there is nothing to show it is only the silly crowd funding investors which get burned.

you dont need 20 people and one year to port a game from mobile to the switch, they are the same architeture and everything for gods sake, the port will be done by 2 or 3 guys at best, i mean it took doom not even 5 months to get ported at best and skyrim not even 10 months and those games were made on widly diferent architetures and have alot of 3d stuff from complex shadders and such, this is a tycoon game, everything is minimalist, most of the game is mechanics and formulas wich are all done, your just porting from arm to arm, it wont take a year and 20 people to do a port...

probably a team under 5 guys and 4 to 6 months at best.

 

[FAST6191]

I will stand by the numbers, have my queries on the timeframes (got no real data just now and http://www.gamesradar.com/the-big-s...really-like-making-games-for-nintendo-switch/ is about as good as it gets from a basic search, might see if the porting houses are public and if I can get some investor reports from them), have some queries on the requirements (the video, not necessarily the more reliable thing but I will go it for now, makes it sound like closer to a remake than a port) and have examples from other simpler games having comparable teams with the numbers but going with yours that means some budget for the advertising campaign then.

Equally looking at http://www.vgchartz.com/platform/83/nintendo-switch/ I am not predicting the largest max sales volume.

We probably have now switched to slightly over funded but I am not yet at unreasonable.

 

[pedro702]

I will stand by the numbers, have my queries on the timeframes (got no real data just now and http://www.gamesradar.com/the-big-s...really-like-making-games-for-nintendo-switch/ is about as good as it gets from a basic search, might see if the porting houses are public and if I can get some investor reports from them), have some queries on the requirements (the video, not necessarily the more reliable thing but I will go it for now, makes it sound like closer to a remake than a port) and have examples from other simpler games having comparable teams with the numbers but going with yours that means some budget for the advertising campaign then.

Equally looking at http://www.vgchartz.com/platform/83/nintendo-switch/ I am not predicting the largest max sales volume.

We probably have now switched to slightly over funded but I am not yet at unreasonable.

yeah its basicaly getting a remaster of their microtransaction filled mobile tycoons game, im guessing they are gonna take the microtransactions and extreme time delays away for the switch(atleast i hope) and maybe remaster it abit better quality textures/framerate who knows.

but like i said you dont need 1 year even if you needed 20 people to port/remaster a game, no idea why you stay with one year and 20 people.