Kickstarter: Trouble for Darkest Dungeon board game

The publisher Mythic Games wants to turn the video game Darkest Dungeon from Red Hook Studios into a board game - the financing for the project comes from crowdfunding Kickstarter. Now there is plenty of trouble. Because despite crowdfunding worth millions, Mythic wants more money from its supporters. There is a reason for this with increased costs - the fans are still angry.

Darkest Dungeon is nothing short of a hit - at least as a video game. The 2016 RPG title with turn-based combat and rogue-like elements received top ratings. In view of the increasing number of adaptations, it was no surprise that the work was to become a board game. Mythic Games, the makers of board games like 6: Siege - The Board Game, Steamwatchers, Super Fantasy Brawl or Time of Legends: Joan of Arc is responsible for the project. However, there is now a lot of trouble about crowdfunding.

Production and logistics cause additional costs

The board game for Darkest Dungeon has actually been financed for a long time. With crowdfunding, Mythic Games had raised around 2020 million euros in 5.5. Over 28.000 supporters participated in the fundraiser, contributing between $100 and $330. A proud sum that made Darkest Dungeon one of the top projects of the year on Kickstarter. In November 2021, the board game should have arrived at crowdfunding backers - that was the original plan. Above all, the corona pandemic and its consequences thwarted Mythic Games. There were delays. In view of the tense situation worldwide, that alone would hardly be a major annoyance. The players just had to be patient.

Now, however, they should also dig into their pockets and pay again. Like Mythic Games in one Kickstarter campaign update explained, the costs for raw materials, production and shipping literally exploded. In particular, the financial investment for shipping would have increased by an average of 600 percent, the publisher explains. In contrast, the surcharge of 30 percent for raw materials seems almost ridiculous. All in all, Mythic is now faced with the problem of having to cope with additional costs of around 1,7 million euros. And part of it – more specifically: half – should be worn by the fans.

Mythix Games and Red Hook, the studio behind the video game Darkest Dungeon, want to take over the other 50 percent. Depending on the pledge chosen, supporters of the campaign should now pay at least an additional 18 euros. The fans now have a mixed picture: some show understanding, others approach the matter analytically and still others let their anger run free. Above all, fans show a lack of understanding about the fact that the company wants to impose a financial risk on them. In view of the overall tense global situation, others simply no longer have the money to bear the additional costs.

Fans of the Darkest Dungeon board game now have a choice: try to get the money back or dig into their pockets again to save the project. The board games have already been produced, explains Mythic Games. The specimens are in a warehouse in China. Fans have until August 1st to pay the additional costs. Then the specimens should go on a journey in mid-August. Alternatively, you can wait - the games should then go on the shipping route as soon as the costs have been paid. Mythic Games wants to keep the games in stock for "as long as possible" for those who cannot pay the additional costs immediately. According to Mythix, these players do not have to do without their copy of Darkest Dungeon entirely, the shipping would only take place later and not with the shipping waves that have been set so far. The publisher wants to inform about new developments.

The campaign now takes a detour to reflect the changed image of Kickstarter as a kind of shopping platform. Basically, the following applies to each of the crowdfunding campaigns: With every campaign there is a risk that the project will not work out for various reasons. Because this was rare in successful campaigns, at least pre-Corona, and publishers always delivered, especially with major projects, the idea of ​​crowdfunding has gradually become a kind of "Kickstarter as a pre-order platform”. However, the rights there are completely different than in retail. Kickstarter itself explains it matter-of-factly: Anyone who supports a project helps “to create something new - you are not buying something that already exists.” In principle, the platform does not offer refunds, so an investment must be carefully weighed up.

The providers of the campaigns only undertake to deliver the work as agreed. And they need to respond to any concerns fans may have. Otherwise, crowdfunding is a kind of wild west of board game shopping. Although the chances are lower that campaigns by well-known board game publishers will fail or that problems will arise later, it still happens.

Darkest Dungeon is a cooperative board game for one to four players that closely follows the video game template.

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Darkest Dungeon: Ancestral Edition - [Nintendo Switch]*	Currently no reviews	40,11 EUR

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