It’s not uncommon for indie developers to seek support for their titles on crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter. For solo developer Reky Studios, after the success rabbit gardening gameBunhousefound on the platform, it was a no-brainer to turn to it for the rabbit baking gameCinnabunny, which launches its campaign on March 20.
While Kickstarters aren’t always sure bets, Reky Studios has managed to draw success from the process once before. That makes the likelihood ofCinnabunny’s potential success on the crowdfunding platform something to get excited about. Ahead of the launch of the Kickstarter campaign, Game Rant spoke with Reky Studios’ solo developer, Patrick Gauthier, about what shape the campaign is likely to take and what lessons were learned fromBunhouse’s.
Cinnabunnyis acozy baking gameset in the rabbity world of Reky’s Bunnyverse. In the community of Sugar Creek Burrows, bakers will meet a wide variety of villagers, learn their favorite flavors, and bake them delicious treats, all while birdwatching, collecting rare mushrooms, and catching robots running amok. It has a more cartoony art style than its predecessor and Reky plans to support it for a long time.
Kickstarting to Get That Early Dough
ForBunhouse’s Kickstarter, Gauthier recounted how launching the campaign for his first bunny game and tweeting about it built the community of rabbit lovers that follow his work to this day, and at the time of writing, over 200 Reky fans are eagerly awaiting theCinnabunnycampaign’s launch and keeping an eye on its Kickstarter page.
I didn’t really expect anything out of it withBunhouse. I had, I think, 11 Kickstarter followers before I launched it. I took to Twitter and just posted about it, and people really just liked the idea of bunnies running greenhouses. It worked out very well. I’m hoping thatCinnabunnyis as successful…I tried to simplify things a little bit for this one. Having run a Kickstarter before, I have a lot of better ideas for ways to do things.
While Kickstarters are not without their risks, some of the biggest success stories in indie gaming have gone through the platform, includingUndertaleandHollow Knight. Last year’s hitSea of Starsalso sought support through Kickstarter.
The campaign forCinnabunnyhas some standard pledge levels, like Early Bird, where backers can get a cheaper copy of the game or a pledge level that grants backers access toCinnabunny’s beta. One of the more interesting pledge levels that proved popular forBunhouseis returning in this campaign–the ability for backers to submit the fur patterns of their pet rabbits to appear in-game. For stretch goals, there’s also the idea of porting it to consoles and adding a cake decorating mechanic, among other possible additions like gliders to explore Sugar Creek Burrows with.
It isn’t just about the funding, which can be crucial to a solo developer like Gauthier, but also a means of promoting the game.Kickstarter campaigns draw attention, as it did forBunhouse, and can act as a grassroots marketing tool for an indie studio. Critical to games likeCinnabunnyare stretch goals–things that a developer might not be able to include in the game without the extra resources secured by crowdfunding but which would make for a better overall title.
I just love being able to provide peaceful, wholesome, cozy games for people. I hope if you are a bunny person or a baking person, you would check out my Kickstarter? That would mean so much to me.
Check out the Kickstarter for CinnabunnyHERE.
Turning Dough into Cakes
The Kickstarter also allows some developers to be more altruistic with the game’s profits. WithBunhouse, the success Gauthier found allowed for a portion of the game’sprofits to go to charity, specifically Small Critter Haven in Grand Rapids, Michigan–a charity that benefits rabbits. ForCinnabunny, he took the other dimension of the game, baking, and used that to find a charity profits could support.
It’s nondescript activism, where I think there’s just so much in the world, there’s so much good to be done. I love making a bunny game, it’s awesome, and I love the peace that it will bring people. But I think I’d love for that to have more real world consequences as well…This one I’m going to be partnering with a charity that provides birthday cakes for children in the foster care system. Not quite animal based, but still baking based.
That charity, For Goodness Cakes, has chapters across America making sure children get the cakes that many birthday kids take for granted. Gauthier likes the idea that people who buy his games know that not only do they get a peaceful, cozy experience, but they also support a real-world cause doing good outside the Bunnyverse of Reky’s recent games. Gauthier encouraged bakers out there to volunteer at For Goodness Cakes if they have a local branch, to bring some of the cozy bakery vibes ofCinnabunnyout into the real world.
