Anonymous
asked:
Only today I discovered that Bernal has opened a Patreon for a sidescroller game based on the Gunbunny universe, it definitely needs more hype!

Well, I certainly do love Bernal’s work and Gun Bunny was one of my earliest influences. But I also have some serious hang-ups about how he’s going about it.

Yes, Bernal is a very talented and experienced artist. Yes, he has worked in game studios. But his ambitions seem really, really high in this project. I mean, a Castlevania-style run and gunner with multiple levels, multiple playable characters, upgradable equipment and abilities with a rich, emotional story is no small task. Not to mention that he wants to do the whole thing in 3D on the Unity engine. It’s a monumental task, even for a full studio of people working full time; just ask WayForward. Simple platform adventure games still take two to three years to complete. And Bernal is publicly asking for programmers to help him make the game. It doesn’t inspire confidence.

Now, I’m not saying that it’s impossible. Bernal may even be able to make the entire game single-handedly and he wouldn’t be the first to accomplish such a feat. Dust: An Elysian Tail was also a single-developer project. But it also took 3.5 years to complete and Bernal isn’t looking to Kickstarter for his project. He’s gone the Patreon route where supporters pay monthly.

So lets assume that he’s dropped everything else and is working very quickly to complete the game. We’re looking at a development time of three years. The lowest tier you can contribute to receive the actual game is $30. Over the full run of development, you will spend over $1000 on the game. He also has a $10 tier and a $1 but the ten just gets you beta versions and DLC while one only gets you concept art. Honestly, Kickstarter would have been a much better venue for this project with a budget of at least $250,000. If he made his goal, he could hire a programmer, take development seriously and get it done in a couple years. If he didn’t, he could still try later when sufficient public interest is there. I really respect his vision and creativity but it’s unfair to place that heavy a burden on a small number of fans to accomplish it.