I'm not sure if a PC version would be enough to reach the goal seeing how abysmal the interest in the iOS-only version currently is. Maybe Republique is just fundamentally unappealing to the greater audience. Which, of course, is not saying anything about the actual quality of this game/concept, but you know how it is. Not every good idea becomes a success no matter how hard you try, and this one may just be way too niche/doesn't have the right pedigree.
Or maybe the platform choice really is the bottleneck here. Who knows.
I supported it, but I think the problem really is the platform.
First, Kickstarter has been embraced by the PC Gaming community. Most of the big games that have been funded so far (Double Fine, Wasteland 2, Tactical Shooter, Shadow Run etc) all have either a direct PC lineage and/or are pitching to a PC crowd.
Second, people just don't care about big budget games on iphone. That is not how people play on these devices. They are by and large get in and get out time killers. They are things you play while you are multi-tasking, watching TV, or waiting for a bus. And they can be fantastic when designed with this context in mind. Even something as ambitious as Infinity Blade is still largely a quick get in and get out experience. It's not a heavily narrative driven game.
Payton and crew really fucked up in my opinion in their choice of platform. Had they designed this game ground up with the PC platform in mind--an open platform without licensing fees and easy distribution methods, they could have done fine. In fact PC exclusives with these kinds of production values--motion capturing and voice talent--are a rarity. And there are ALOT of gamers who have migrated from consoles to PC in the last year.
I don't see any reason why this same concept couldn't be done with a PC interface. Say the girl is interfacing with you over a peer to peer video program. She is using a smart phone or some sort of program to contact via the internet. You could use a headset to talk with her. There is no reason it has to be a literal phone on your end. This is not the kind of game people want to try to play in the environments they use their phones. The concept is great, the platform choice is stupid.
I understand that IOS is the the biggest gaming platform, but not for this kind of game. The reason it is the platform of choice for most indie developers is that they are making low budget titles. These guys are doing it backwards. First they need to get their enthusiast audience, which is on PC. Then later they can port it to the mainstream audience on an IOS after it is successful.
Look, I love my Iphone and my Ipad and I play a lot of games on them. But if somebody tried to create a blockbuster movie on an indie budget and said they were only going to release it for Iphones, you would look at them like they were fucking stupid. It's a phone. It's a 4" screen. Nobody is looking for amazing big budget experiences on their phone. It's a fucking telephone for Christ's sake.
As David Lynch said, "Get real."
