A Kickstarter campaign sets new standards. BattleTech raised more than $7 million for a “little game with characters.”
If you ask gamers about a vision of the future in space full of war, in most cases the answer will probably be “Warhammer 40,000”. But another franchise plays in a very similar area and has now shown how strong the support of the community is. Because a Kickstarter campaign for “BattleTech: Mercenaries” has developed into one of the largest support campaigns ever on Kickstarter.
What is BattleTech? BattleTech is a vision of the future, set primarily in the 32nd century. Great battles for resources have erupted in space, and mercenaries are deployed in many places to enforce claims of prestige. However, they rarely fight on foot and are mostly on the road in gigantic combat robots (“Mechs”). These “MechWarriors” are the central linchpin of the table-top game, but also the video game offshoot.
On average, supporters finance the project with around 300 euros
How much money was there? In total, the Kickstarter campaign raised $7,549,241 – that’s almost 6.8 million euros. With a total of 23,654 supporters, this means that an average of $319 (~€287) was paid as support.
The fact that BattleTech: Mercenaries – like most tabletop games – is primarily something for people who like to dig deeper into their wallets to indulge in their nerd hobby can be guessed by just looking at the Kickstarter campaign. As usual, when supporting the project, there are certain thresholds that a “donation” must reach in order to enjoy special bonuses. The lowest reward starts at $15, bringing a selection of different books from the franchise.
But those who put their hearts into BattleTech could also buy bundles up to $5,000 (approx. 4,505 €) and then be literally bombarded with BattleTech content in the form of figures, books and merchandise until the dust of the galactic war has settled .
Unsurprisingly, the (rather low) target of $50,000 was easily surpassed by more than 15,000%. That makes this Kickstarter campaign one of the 20 most successful of all time.
Do gamers know BattleTech? Video game fans may have noticed the BattleTech series over the past few decades as well. However, most of the titles here were released under the name “MechWarrior” or “MechAssault”, which were mainly distributed on the Xbox and PC.
Most of these games were characterized by tactical combat and a high level of customization of the mechs – weapon systems and armor could usually be adjusted in great detail in order to give the mech advantages such as protection against missile systems, but also disadvantages such as slower movement with high armor.
While the franchise may still be a little under the radar for the mainstream, this Kickstarter campaign shows that BattleTech can hold its own against the big time and apparently has a loving (and well-heeled) fanbase that more than… just keep alive.
Weird projects are always popping up on Kickstarter, like the matchbox-sized console.