Make games first, money second
We talked a little before about how Friendly Pixel began, and the kind of games we’re interested in making. To be honest, we weren’t really focused on the M word, because we figured we needed to create a really great game first before it was worth worrying about that. Fast forward a few months, and we’ve got a great little community that keeps on growing. And now we’re looking at not just the months ahead, but the years. Which means there’s a big question on our minds: how do we keep funding development for the foreseeable future?
Keeping the town gates open
We knew from the start that Friendly Pixel games would be best when played with friends, and we wanted there to
be as
few barriers as possible to getting in game with them. That’s part of why we made our alpha browser-based – it
seemed
like the single best way to make it accessible for everyone in your life, including folks that don’t have Steam
accounts, or those who like to play on something larger than a phone screen.
Making it easy to get in game also meant no purchase required up front. Trials are important to any game, but
especially
to social multiplayer games like Trust No Bunny – so we knew that at the very least, alpha and beta (aka early
access)
wouldn’t come with a price tag. But what about after that?
Our goal then, and now, is to keep all Friendly Pixel games as low-cost as possible – or even free to play if we
can
swing it – and to provide a way for new players (like your friends) to try out the game for free. We still need
to
develop a longer-term strategy for financing the team, so we don’t want to count out SOME kind of cost for the
full
downloadable release version of the game – but we’re talking about single digit dollars here. When it comes to
Trust No
Bunny (and future Friendly Pixel games), we want it to be a stress-free decision to play AND purchase, with no
doubt
that you’re getting your money’s worth.
So if we’re trying to keep a potential price that low – how do we keep the team funded?
A tried-and-true approach
The Friendly Pixel dev team comes from a variety of backgrounds and experience, but one thing we all share is a
belief
that purely optional cosmetic items can be a legitimate way to fund a game’s ongoing development, launch, and
even live
service over years. So while it’s still early days, we’re setting our sights on monetizing primarily through
cosmetics –
the visual elements you can use to customize your avatar, spice up your playspace, and express yourself down to
an exact
vibe. And we can promise you right now that anything we offer for cash will never be pay-to-win or provide ANY
in-game
advantages (besides looking stylish as heck).
You’ve already seen the first cosmetic line: costumes for your Pixi avatar. We’ve been blown away by your
reaction to
the outfits we’ve come up with for these critters, and we’re planning to keep making ’em – but we’re also
exploring a
lot more than that! (Stay tuned for a separate article about cosmetics somewhere down the line…) And by the way
– any
exclusive or limited time costumes you unlock during alpha & beta will carry over to the final release!
Whether you choose to purchase them from the in-game store, or acquire them for free through other means, we’re
hoping
you end up with multiple costumes for every mood, whether as a pre-existing thematic set or as a mix-and-match
combination from various parts in your collection.Once we fully launch Trust No Bunny, we’re planning to have a
variety
of collectible cosmetics you can unlock through a meaningful progression system, some seasonal / limited time
options,
and vastly more premium in-store content!
Setting up shop
While we have some grand plans for all the different cosmetics, we’re still deciding exactly how to price them,
and we
want to give it a lot more thought before settling on anything. However, we didn’t want to delay getting an
in-game
store implemented either (development does cost time and money, after all)… so the first item you’ll see
available for
purchase is a bit of an odd duck. Basically, it’s not a good example of how things might be bundled, priced, or
even
available in the future, so keep those expectations in check!
That said – the Town Founder’s Pack features two brand-new costumes you can only get through the store: the Busy
Beekeeper and the Forest King! This pack is really just there for players who have the means and desire to
monetarily
support continued development of Trust No Bunny. Y’all are a wonderful community and we appreciate everyone who
plays
TNB no matter what – we don’t want anyone to feel obligated to purchase the pack!
There’s a lot more to consider when it comes to not only the store, but also progression, achievements, and the
other
systems that could be tied to unlocking collectible cosmetics. Once we’re in beta, we’ll do a deeper dive into
how all
those systems will work together!
Trust is the most important investment
In Trust No Bunny, it’s part of the game that everyone’s motives are suspicious. But when it comes to the
Friendly Pixel
team, we never want that to be the case. For us, the most important thing is the trust of this community, and
we’ll
strive to keep it by communicating as actively and transparently as possible. We’ll no doubt need your patience;
game
development can be complicated and messy sometimes. But we promise to do right by you, the time you invest
playing our
games, and any money you decide to spend on them.
So if you like the sound of that – hop in and let us know what you
think of all the above.
Thanks for reading.