[Ulala]

The problem is that it's never anything new. So it goes nowhere and just annoys the regulars.

Kickstarter still feels somewhat new to me. And I feel it to be pretty often that I hear of "random project X" surprising everyone by raising way more than anyone ever thought it would. I'm not saying Freespace is necessarily one of those projects, but how can you know for certain if you don't try?

[The E]

You are aware that the discussion has moved beyond that point already? Yes? Good.

[HAZARDLEADER]

The other thing we could do is just buy the license for ourselves and start selling all of our mods.

I hope your kidding.

[Sandwich]

The other thing we could do is just buy the license for ourselves and start selling all of our mods.

I hope your kidding.

The kidding does not belong to him.

[Ulala]

You are aware that the discussion has moved beyond that point already? Yes? Good.

Sorry. Geez, the sheer hostility that is displayed around this subject makes me not even want to discuss it.

* Ulala wanders off.

[Rga_Noris]

So one misconception needs to be cleared up: Just because you raise the money for the rights to make FS3 happen, Interplay is, in no way, obligated to sell them to you. Also, if the community raised enough money to actually do so, there's a solid chance that interplay would keep the rights because you just proved that those rights have a real value.

Anyone who gives money to a kickstarter account that had zero control over what it promises is a fool.
US: Hey interplay! We have thousands of dollars of donated money to buy the rights to FS!

Interplay: Wow! People will pay just for a chance of a game? I think we would rather cash in on that, sorry to all your investors!

What you need to do is secure a business loan and by the rights. That way, interplay still sees it as a low potential product, and will be more inclined to sell it. Once you have the rights, use kickstarter to pay back the loan.

Still risky, but more plausible.

[Kobrar44]

So one misconception needs to be cleared up: Just because you raise the money for the rights to make FS3 happen, Interplay is, in no way, obligated to sell them to you.

The simplest answer would be to arrive at a written agreement with Interplay beforehand, where they agree to sell the IP for $XYZ if we can raise that sum by a certain date. If we don't manage to raise the sum via the kickstarter, then no cards are charged and nothing happens besides the media attention it might have garnered. If we do raise the sum, Interplay would be legally obligated to sell the IP. We could hire a lawyer to pound out said agreement if there's no lawyers among the community willing to contribute.

[Rga_Noris]

I missed that.

Regardless, you are proposing the following:

US: Hey Interplay! If we prove the potential of the freespace ip, (read: get enough people to invest) will you give it up for a price that you agreed to before you knew its true value?

Any smart company would not agree to losing out like that. You are saying that if we don't get the interest and investments, Interplay stays where it is. If you start a kick starter and people go nuts, and you hit the goal in three minutes, then Interplay absorbs all the risk, hoping that they didn't just sell  cash cow for less than its worth.

Talk to interplay. Get price. Pay up front. Kickstarter to pay back loan/fund development. Minimizes interplays risk, we get the ip.

[The E]

Increases our risk because we would have to get the collateral to secure the loan, and would have to pay it out of our own hands if the Kickstarter fails.

We would ALSO have to convince a bank to get us the loan; this would require us making a real business plan that focusses on how we're going to make a game using the aquired IP that will make enough profit to pay back the investment, since we (or rather, the bank) cannot rely on the kickstarter succeeding.

[Dragon]

Indeed, good luck finding a bank that would loan this amount of money, to a completely unknown customer, who lists a hit-or-miss fundraising site as business plan. Not in this decade, not in this economy. Not to mention that failure of the project would leave people who take this loan wearing an old barrel (to share...) and living under the bridge. Maybe Interplay is right, and this market is pretty much dead, HLP isn't exactly a large portion of the world's population.

[Nuke]

maybe we should just get thq to buy out interplay. this would also secure the rights to other franchises, descent 4 for example (volition was supposed to get this one anyway, which is where red faction comes from, that was supposed to be the descent 4 engine).

[0rph3u5]

maybe we should just get thq to buy out interplay.

As if THQ wasn't broke as well ...


ps. for the record: the only FS related crowdfunding I would dontate to would be to get the IP and lay the francise to rest, stopping ANYONE from screwing with it ... status quo isn't the best but it is better than throwing a sequel, reboot or what-have-you out there with nothing but the label "Freespace" on it ...

[Rga_Noris]

Exactly. Interplay will not want the risk. Neither do we.

For the record, great achievements often require do or die type risk. Sometimes you have to put it all on the line. I'm not saying its always required, just don't expect big things to happen without it. More often than not, you wind up disappointed.

[The E]

For the record, great achievements often require do or die type risk. Sometimes you have to put it all on the line. I'm not saying its always required, just don't expect big things to happen without it. More often than not, you wind up disappointed.

As far as I am concerned, FS isn't such a situation. For me, anyway, and not when the status quo we do have isn't exactly bad.

[Rga_Noris]

I agree that the status quo isn't bad. I rather enjoy it. The thing is, even if the risk isn't huge, it is there no matter how you look at it. And if no one wants the risk, then it won't happen.

[HAZARDLEADER]

"And if no one wants the risk, then it won't happen."

I'm willing to take the risk.

[Droid803]

"And if no one wants the risk, then it won't happen."

I'm willing to take the risk.

Then fork over the money.

[Rga_Noris]

"And if no one wants the risk, then it won't happen."

I'm willing to take the risk.

How much money are you willing risk?

EDIT: forget it. This thread is, or should be, dead. The only remaining option?

SHARK TANK.

[HAZARDLEADER]

"And if no one wants the risk, then it won't happen."

I'm willing to take the risk.

How much money are you willing risk?

EDIT: forget it. This thread is, or should be, dead. The only remaining option?

SHARK TANK.

I don't have much to risk. I'm still willing to contribute. It won't be much, but the whole things gotta start somewhere right? 
Where will the money go? What account? What site? I can't contribute if I don't know where to send the money too. Plus if I read the correctly you guys still have to talk too  and Interplay before this entire thing starts...right, because I'm not going to start giving unless we have a go on buying the rights. Like Rga_norris said this thread should be dead. If we are going to continue these talks, and or have a community pitch in... we will need a new thread.

Its mainly up to you guys to get this started.

[Nuke]

if the poll thus far is any indication then id say the idea probibly wouldn't work.