Pixel Art Academy dev on what to do with a late Kickstarter

Developer of the successfully funded Pixel Art Academy Matej Jan took to Medium offering advice on what to do after a Kickstarter campaign runs late. 

As Jan points out in the post, its not uncommon for projects to miss their estimated delivery date, offering a number of reasons that could delay a game. Game developers who are considering Kickstarter to fund their games should take note before moving forward. 

Funding is finite and may only last a short amount of time, which can force developers to look for other means of income in order to continue working. If a developer is fulfilling different roles on their own, it can be hard to manage time efficiently. Jan notes that lack of focus, faulty assumptions, and limited manpower all contributed to Pixel Art Academy running late.

What can be done about a late Kickstarter project after the problems have been assessed? Before actually starting the campaign "multiply your estimated delivery time by 3, and funding goal by 2," suggests Jan. If a developer is already past the point of no return, issue refunds. 

"First of all, if you didn’t know, it’s pretty easy to issue refunds to backers. If someone is vocally disappointed, I immediately refund them," Jan writes. "I see no need for people to feel cheated, like they’ve made a bad investment. I’m not here to steal people’s money. Just refund and move on."

In addition to refunds, Jan acknowledges that documenting his development journey can also serve as a good way to communicate with backers to keep them in the loop. Creating a to-do list is also helpful, but developers should be warned that coming up with tasks for a to-do list is harder than checking them off. 

Game developers interested in how to analyze their own projects in case they run late should check out Jan's Medium post for more.