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Outcry over 'Skullgirls' crowdfunding reveals the true costs of game development

Outcry over 'Skullgirls' crowdfunding reveals the true costs of game development

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Skullgirls screen
Skullgirls screen

When developer Lab Zero Games launched an Indiegogo campaign for updates to its Skullgirls fighting game last week, some fans were outraged — the company asked for a cool $150,000 to add one new character to the title. But as an insightful piece from Giant Bomb points out, the outcry was accompanied by a surge of donations, with the total currently standing at more than $275,000. The episode points to a divide in the gaming community: while some users and developers understand the real costs of high-quality game production — costs which were set out by Lab Zero in an itemized list on their campaign site — many have become habituated to a world where content is cheap and distinctions between mainstream and independent developers are difficult to discern. Head over to Giant Bomb to read the full story.