In January, Mayfair Games launched a Kickstarter for the game
Cones of Dunshire, a game created in the TV Show
Parks and Recreation. That project, with a goal of $300,000, failed with only $46.6k raised. Then they relaunched the kickstarter in February with a lowered goal of $150,000, which also failed, only raising $48.6k.
If you are unfamiliar with the game, see this clip from the TV show where the character Ben invents the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfXfOCIIFcY
The
Kickstarter was for a Deluxe Edition of the Cones of Dunshire, with the price set at $400 to receive a copy of the game. According to Mayfair Games, this version was supposed to be as close to the on-screen version as possible, and was designed for a select few people that wanted a souvenir version of the game. If the Kickstarter were successful, Mayfair could go on to make a non-deluxe edition of the game for a wider audience. But now, after the second Kickstarter flop, that probably will not happen.
Aspiring Kickstarter publishers can probably learn a few things from this campaign and why it failed. Firstly, many people thought it might be a joke, since Mayfair's entire pitch, including the FAQ and comment replies, was in character for the universe of the TV show. Also, there was no indication of how the game would play. Furthermore, the high price point and the small target base was a nail in the coffin for the campaign. Crowdfunding gets its success from catering to large crowds of people, not a select few.
If Mayfair had started with a more affordable, non-deluxe version of The Cones of Dunshire, perhaps more people would have invested in the Kickstarter and we would be seeing the game on shelves today. But, unfortunately for fans of the show and game, the Cones of Dunshire project was unsuccessful.
To read more about the campaign flop, see
here.
