Not very happy

[Scrubber]

As time goes on I feel like I'm getting let down by playtonic more and more.

Firstly they open the toybox to new buyers that didn't care to back the kickstarter. Meanwhile those of us that did back the kickstarter are not given access to it. So people that this company should care less about get given priority treatment.

Another thing I've noticed is that they keep posting important news updates to facebook BEFORE sending those updates to those of us that funded the game via kickstarter. I really feel like they used us for our money and have sold out already.

In this most recent update, they have just announced that to upgrade our digital console version to a physical version that they want another £20 this is an absolute joke. This is more expensive than it is for non backers in official stores.

At this point I have got much less to show for my money than I would have if I never had have pledged and instead pre ordered 2 weeks ago.

Now, another thing that's pissed me off is that I got my hopes up for a physical switch version. Why didn't they say previously that physical would be ps and xb only. So now I've got to choose between 2 versions that I don't necessarily want. Not only this but they STILL aren't telling us when the switch version will come, which would help people's decision.

January is over and still no news (which was promised before the end of the month)

[Rasmusic]

[GeneralWalnut]

Understandable. The thing you should take from this is that backing a game on Kickstarter is not the same as pre-ordering it. It is giving money to a project you want to get made with the knowledge that it could look very different by the time it releases, and that stuff could go wrong. Trying to figure out if you'll end up "getting more out of it" in the end will almost always lead to you getting burned.

Game development is messy, and even the games with the least bumps along with way will still hit snags. Kickstarter shines a light on that, since you are seeing a game move from pitch through to completion, rather than seeing a game that his been in development for a couple of years already when it is announced. If you don't keep that in mind, and realize nothing on the campaign page is set in stone you will almost always get burned.

I'm not saying this to suggest you "get over it" or anything, just some advice for the next time you are interested in backing a project. And if you do feel like you got burned this time, take the refund. Either buy the game when it comes out or pass on it, but you do have an out now at least.

[Tek]

Concerning the £20 physical upgrade price: I don't know what Playtonics personal reasons are for the exact price of the upgrade from digital to physical, but it does seem to be similar to the price difference between digital and physical Kickstarter tiers. Given that the upgrade to physical is Kickstarter related, it makes sense.

Looking back at the various Kickstarter tiers and their prices, the highest priced tier in which you still only receive a digital copy is £55. The next tier up, you receive a physical pc version at £70.

£55 (Digital) Tier
£55 - ~$87 - ~€77

£70 (Physical) Tier
£70 - ~$110 - ~€98

Difference Between The Two
£15 - ~$23 - ~€21

Someone who pledged £15, which is the lowest tier that you could get a digital console version, would pay a total of £35 if they now upgrade to a physical console version. Someone who pledged £55 for the highest digital-only tier would play a total of £75 if they now upgrade to a physical console version. (Excluding the possibility that one also paid additional money for a T-shirt.)

Basically I'm trying to say that pledging for a digital version during the Kickstarter, and then upgrading your pledge to a physical (pc) version during the Kickstarter wasn't much different in price than the current price of upgrading to a physical (console) version long after the fact. Also, it's an optional upgrade.

[Exaskryz]

[Scrubber]

[GeneralWalnut]

[Exaskryz]

[Jellyfunk]

The purpose of Kickstarting a game is to get a game made, which it otherwise wouldn't be. If you're only backing projects for VIP treatment, you're better off not wasting your money.

[Exaskryz]

I don't think backers want VIP treatment - else they would've already backed in the really high backer categories - they just don't want backburner treatment. That is, don't treat the non-backers better than the backers. Toyboxes on consoles? Not available to backers! Tough luck if you don't have a PC that can run this game, that is the only Toybox available to you. But had you decided to just pre-order, well after the game was made, then you can play it on your console.

[Meinhard1]

So:
- The toybox demo distribution wasn't entirely fair
- Updates aren't disseminated how expect them to
- The KS donation tiers don't value propositions, to you
Additionally:
- The Wii U version failed to come out
And furthermore
- Details on the Switch port, even a ballpark release window, is not available
- And so Wii U owners have to make a decision on backerkit soon, without all the information they'd like

These seem like valid concerns that would certainly be upsetting to some ... I think there may be reasonable explanations behind some of them, but that's another discussion.

I *would* offer that in the long run these details are dwarfed by comparison to the ultimate quality of the game. You don't seem to be the only one who is "not very happy" but I'd warn of the danger in falling down a rabbit hole disappointment, and soiling what should be a very interesting video-game experience. Ultimately, the game is coming out and not too far off schedule ... as of today, we know it is DONE.

After waiting so many years another game like Banjo-Kazooie, a spiritual successor by key creative people has emerged, and now it is complete. A game filled with characters by the likes of Mayles, Stevenson, and Bayliss; a game chock-full of David Wise and Grant Kirkhope tunes, including a "GK rap"; a game with many interesting-looking words to explore.

Not saying people shouldn't feel disenchanted or upset. Maybe offer consent and let yourselves feel that way, then eventually consider the bigger picture and hopefully move on and try to give the game a chance. Think of that young child patiently waiting for Banjo-Threeie, all those many years ago

[rocho]

The only thing I just don't get is that they told us we would have a big update in January but the info was just a reconfirmation of the switch version and the console change options (which we already knew before).

So I'm not sure just how big of an update this is (besides the adition of a new member to the Playtonic Team of course).

[Alph]

[Scrubber]

[Piet]

[Scrubber]

That's the thing. We SHOULD be given special treatment if anyone were to recieve it but so far the non backers have been chosen as a priority.

[Piet]

[AndyR]

Hi all,

Sorry for the lack of replies on here from the Playtonic side - we've all been really, really busy finishing off the game and finalising fulfilment plans for the Kickstarter. Almost there!

Scrubber: I'm sorry to hear that you feel let down by our communication. Game development is constantly in flux and it's true that it's incredibly challenging to balance Kickstarter fulfilment on top of trying to reward our backers with a worthy game. For example, we have literally tens-of-thousands of manuals, tshirts and boxes to manufacturer, distribute and in some cases sign ourselves… but we’re doing our very best to keep everyone satisfied as well as finishing up development!

Our Kickstarter backers are absolutely at the forefront of our minds and we will NEVER forget the support they showed us 2 years ago. We always strive to do best by them, even if some things planned well after the Kickstarter campaign our outside of our control.

We’re making sure our Kickstarter backers get tons of value for their amazing support, both in discount pricing on the rewards offered during the campaign (in most cases huge), loads of exclusive physical goodies and don’t forget, free DLC for all backers worked on after release!

Re Toybox: A console version wasn’t planned at the time of the kickstarter and unfortunately, due to platform holder logistics and how direct pre-orders work, we can't offer the console Toybox to everyone right now. However, we made sure that everyone who opted to pay for a Toybox tier received their PC codes last summer – and that they paid a lot less (as much as half) than those now buying Yooka-Laylee at full price.

Re physical: Despite not ever offering a physical version during the Kickstarter campaign, we heard the requests and worked hard to offer a solution. The optional choice to pay a £20 upgrade reflects RRP and covers the cost of goods, shipping and handling on our side. Unfortunately, as a non-retailer we cannot undercut RRP on the boxed version, but we wanted to offer backers the option.

Re Switch: We’re working as hard and fast as we can to get you the answers you’re looking for. Thanks for your patience.

[Piet]

[Rueckkoppler]