Amplitude (Harmonix) PS3/PS4 - KS (Funded, final day)

Sony isn't funding this because it's a game from over a decade ago that was already niche even then in a genre that hasn't been popular in years.

I don't know why this is hard for people to understand.
 
That's a good question. Here's another question: is there any proof that Sony hasn't committed funds to this? Do we know how much an HD Amplitude would cost? Perhaps $775k isn't the total actual cost.

I believe that Kickstarter has been used as a way of gauging interest in a product.

I don't see why Sony is even part of the conversation. This is a harmonic kickstarter, Sony doesn't even have anything to with this. I'm just a bit confused about the reactions here
 
750k isn't that much for a multiplatform HD-level game that needs to have dozens of licenced tracks, especially when you make it as well as Harmonix does (lots of music games have been made for less, but they end up playing a lot worse than Harmonix's games as well).

Except that 750 goal doesn't include licensed tracks. Only self made harmonix tracks. If they get overfunded, then we'll see licensed music.
 
Why not just give it a new name and say it's the spiritual successor...? A name is only a name, and it's not exactly a huge one that's worth keeping over other platform sales.

They tried that with Rock Band Blitz. Don't remember it? Well, that's why they aren't trying a spiritual successor again.
 
Not interested in helping a well funded developer fund a game. I would much rather pledge my money to smaller developers who couldn't fund the game any other way.
 
Sony isn't funding this because it's a game from over a decade ago that was already niche even then in a genre that hasn't been popular in years.

I don't know why this is hard for people to understand.
Exactly! IP is/was dead.
This is the chance (thanks to Harmonix) to revive it.
 
I don't see why Sony is even part of the conversation. This is a harmonic kickstarter, Sony doesn't even have anything to with this. I'm just a bit confused about the reactions here

Well, it does sound like Sony has ownership of the IP. In that case, I do get the expectation of them taking part financially. If this is Harmonix' initiative though, it could be all on them if Sony wasn't interested in bringing it back.
 
Well, it does sound like Sony has ownership of the IP. In that case, I do get the expectation of them taking part financially. If this is Harmonix' initiative though, it could be all on them if Sony wasn't interested in bringing it back.

Which is what seems likely. Sony isn't required to fund every game simply in the basis of it being exclusive.
 
750k isn't that much for a multiplatform HD-level game that needs to have dozens of licenced tracks, especially when you make it as well as Harmonix does (lots of music games have been made for less, but they end up playing a lot worse than Harmonix's games as well).

The game doesn't have licensed tracks (they are a stretch goal) . Its on two platforms which has plenty of multi-platform engines available to it to make development much easier. I agree that Harmonix have lots of talent but 700k is a lot of money for a vendor specific game on kickstarter.
 
Backed, and will eventually buy a PS4 for it.

Good times with Powerman 5000, Crystal Method, the Chemical Brothers, and No Doubt in the original Frequency.
 
I don't see the big deal. If you back it you get a copy of the game, and if it reaches its funding goal, then Harmonix has validated that the interest in the game justifies it's existence.

Win win?
 
Backed. Regardless of supposedly how much money a company has, if they feel that Kickstarter is the best way to get a niche game made and released (and demonstrate demand), then so be it. Besides, I trust Harmonix to actually make the game, unlike some Kickstarters that haven't managed to get anywhere.
 
If Sony isn't going to fund it I don't really understand why they wouldn't just use the same mechanics to create a spiritual successor with an IP Harmonix could actually own.
 
You have no idea how this works yet you're grandstanding.

Why would you have to pay again?

You get the game for the first two tiers?

EARLY BACKER PRICE - Get a Cross-Buy code of the full game for PlayStation®4/PlayStation®3 at launch! Limited to the first 1,000 backers through the door!

So if I'm backer 1001 and I pledged $15, do I get the game, or do I have to pay for it again?
 
Except that 750 goal doesn't include licensed tracks. Only self made harmonix tracks. If they get overfunded, then we'll see licensed music.
Well, Harmonix houses professional musicians, they aren't cheap. Even if their team is no bigger than around 15-20 people, they'd easily spend that <800k by February 2015.
 
You get the game for the first two tiers?



So if I'm backer 1001 and I pledged $15, do I get the game, or do I have to pay for it again?
If all of the alloted 1000 early bird price tiers are gone, no, you don't get it for 15$ (and they won't even let you pick that reward tier, so you can't accidentally pay 15$ and not get the game). At that point you'd have to pony up a few more dollars to be able to pick the next tier.
 
You get the game for the first two tiers?



So if I'm backer 1001 and I pledged $15, do I get the game, or do I have to pay for it again?

If you only paid $15 you would not get the game since it was limited to the first 1000, but if you paid $5 more you would get the game.
 
Which is what seems likely. Sony isn't required to fund every game simply in the basis of it being exclusive.

Because tying yourself to one platform if the platform holder doesn't have a stake in the project is usually a pretty bad decision.

Mind, I'm not arguing anything here. Harmonix is free to do what they want.

You get the game for the first two tiers?

So if I'm backer 1001 and I pledged $15, do I get the game, or do I have to pay for it again?

$15 is the early-bird discount pledge. When those have expired you'll have to go up to the $20 tier, which is unlimited.

I'll agree that any tier that doesn't give you the product in a Kickstarter is B.S. and I'd probably never do that personally.
 
The game doesn't have licensed tracks (they are a stretch goal) . Its on two platforms which has plenty of multi-platform engines available to it to make development much easier. I agree that Harmonix have lots of talent but 700k is a lot of money for a vendor specific game on kickstarter.
I stand corrected, but even then, composing, recording & mixing, what, a hefty 25-30+ songs (I hope it's at least that many) isn't necessarily all that cheap if they want the soundtrack to sound halfway professional.
 
Interesting way of doing things. Publisher doesn't want to fund it, but isn't necessarily against developers making it if they can get the money themselves.

If this works out, I wonder if we'll see more cases like this.
 
I don't feel comfortable backing a game from a bigger developer like Harmonix.

Can't really express it correctly, it just feels weird.

Also, why aren't they doing a full 30 day kickstarter?
 
Despite having a multi hundred million dollar payout from Viacom and multiple venture capitalists/angel investors backing them over time, they need to do a kickstarter for $775,000 to fund a game in an IP they don't own that the IP owner refuses to fund themselves.

This is... one of the odder kickstarters I've seen I've got to be honest.
It is odd indeed.

The Dance Central series has probably sold 5+ million copies at this stage and they had the money to out source a FPS game to Hidden Path, I'm sure Harmonix are doing quite well for themselves.
Harmonix isn't as rich as you might think. They've had numerous rounds of layoffs since the last Dance Central.
 
Interesting way of doing things. Publisher doesn't want to fund it, but isn't necessarily against developers making it if they can get the money themselves.

If this works out, I wonder if we'll see more cases like this.

Yeah that's one of the main reasons why I want this to succeed. Could make it more likely for other risky franchises to be revived. Then again it could be abused quite easily, *cough* EA *cough*.
 
If this works out, I wonder if we'll see more cases like this.
Would people really be against it if, say, Matsuno got the permission to use Tactics Ogre IP freely from Square Enix (and got at least some of the original team together) if he just gets the funding himself through Kickstarter? If SQEX is unsure if there's still enough interest in the franchise to make their level of production profitable, why should the IP rot in SQEX's abandoned IPs dungeon if there's outside interest in taking the IP and trying to do something with it?
 
They tried that with Rock Band Blitz. Don't remember it? Well, that's why they aren't trying a spiritual successor again.
To be fair, Rock Band Blitz was pretty weak, between the social game aspects and the fact that hitting notes didn't actually affect whether the tracks played or not.

Plus if this game brings back Remix mode then sign me the hell up.
 
To be fair, Rock Band Blitz was pretty weak, between the social game aspects and the fact that hitting notes didn't actually affect whether the tracks played or not.

Plus if this game brings back Remix mode then sign me the hell up.

Don't forget the Microtransactions
 
It isn't. At all.

KS has muddied people's understanding of game budgets. The low amounts are why delivered games are often barebones, unfinished, missing features, re-kickstarted or delayed while they find additional funding.

I deal with game budgets on a regular basis and I think this is too much. I believe their Dance Central, Fantasia and Rock Band budgets have muddied their understanding of game budgets.

Obviously we don't have visibility into their budgets and salaries and licensing fees and whatnot, so it's all speculation, but I definitely disagree with your assessment. There's not a whole lot of new tech needed here. The team size needed to make a high production Amplitude is not massive. With so much original team in place, they're surely making high senior level salaries, but it still seems like too much for this.

Drop the PS3 or move it to a stretch goal (behind a Vita version). Assemble the team using a nice mix of senior and junior guys. Low ball your cost estimates because you know there's internal money and Sony money that will help get this through to the end. Put the higher cost licensing tracks in some DLC to pass that price along. And please remove all the "avatar" related stuff (I had completely forgotten about that until watching the video) - not necessary. Just do what you can to lower initial costs.

I think their goal should have been more in line with gauging interest and not overfunding their entire passion project. I want this game to succeed. I do. I just believe they're asking for too much.
 
I stand corrected, but even then, composing, recording & mixing, what, a hefty 25-30+ songs (I hope it's at least that many) isn't necessarily all that cheap if they want the soundtrack to sound halfway professional.

I see what you mean, but their pitch consit's of we want to make a new amplitude, heres some concept art, give us money. Why don't we have more information about what they would do with the $700,000, why dont we have a solid number of songs. why isn't there a prototype? now I'm not doubting Harmonix's ability and I understand that they this is just amplitude HD, but it would still be nice to see a 1 level prototype, to see what music styles they want to go with, as well as any tweaks to the gameplay they might make. It also shows they they have made some legwork already and it brings in the possibility that they may have already shown something to publishers and it got turned down. It just feels like they started a kickstarter on the whim that something might happen.
 
Just curious: did you think when Double Fine did it for The Broken Age?

I wasn't paying attention to KS back then and I wouldn't call Double Fine a big developer. It just seems weird to be funding a game from a company that is getting their next game published by Disney.
 
What is Sony's position on this? Is this an actual Amplitude game (Sony IP) or an Amplitude-esque game.

Either way I've backed it. Loved the original amplitude.
 
OMFG PLEASE make this happen! That PS2 styled case is mines! I want it in my collection

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You're missing the POD demo disc.

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Which is what seems likely. Sony isn't required to fund every game simply in the basis of it being exclusive.

I'm okay if Sony doesn't put any coin towards this. I could be wrong but to me, Amplitude was always a tad niche. Crowdfunding seems like a good way to go about this project.
 
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