Ratatan Development Log #5 Kickstarter as a Goal
In the previous article, I talked about how Ratatan's direction finally became clear once both the gameplay concept and the visual concept came together.
At this point, I'd like to clarify one important idea.
A gameplay concept.
A visual concept.
Only when these two come together can you truly explain:
"What are we making?"
For us, that was the moment the concept itself was complete.
However, completing a concept does not mean you have completed a game.
Only then does the real work begin: turning that concept into reality.
For Ratatan, the very first step toward that goal was Kickstarter.
Choosing an AA-Scale Project
There are many different ways to develop an indie game.
Some games are created entirely by a solo developer.
Some are completed by a small independent team.
Others begin as indie projects before partnering with a publisher and expanding production.
None of these approaches is inherently right or wrong.
In fact, many globally successful games owe their appeal precisely to being developed by small teams.
What matters is designing a project that fits the concept.
Ratatan was conceived as a spiritual successor to Patapon.
A rhythm game with online multiplayer, built to reach players all over the world with a level of quality worthy of that ambition.
At the same time, we wanted to preserve the independence that comes with indie development.
The solution we chose was:
Maintain an indie development structure while aiming for an AA-scale production budget.
We were never trying to become a massive development studio.
Instead, we wanted to keep the speed of decision-making and creative independence that only a small team can offer, while securing enough resources to realize the vision.
That became the fundamental philosophy behind the Ratatan project.
Meeting DANGEN Entertainment
Kickstarter had been part of our vision from the very beginning.
The problem was that we had absolutely no idea where to start.
What does a successful Kickstarter campaign require?
What should the campaign page look like?
How much promotional video content is necessary?
How do you build a community?
We had neither the knowledge nor the experience, and in reality, we hadn't even begun preparing.
Then, through a fortunate connection, we met DANGEN Entertainment.
At the time, DANGEN Entertainment had already built an impressive track record supporting indie games through Kickstarter campaigns.
We decided to move the project forward by learning from their expertise.
DANGEN Entertainment not only provided funding to help us prepare for Kickstarter, but also introduced team members with extensive Kickstarter experience.
Campaign page design.
Marketing.
International community building.
Campaign planning.
They shared an incredible amount of knowledge—things you simply don't learn through game development alone.
Looking back now, I honestly believe that without meeting DANGEN Entertainment, it would have been extremely difficult for Ratatan to even launch a Kickstarter campaign.
Ratatan Becomes a Project
Once Kickstarter became a concrete goal, Ratatan transformed from a concept into a project.
Until then, we had been focused on one question:
"What are we making?"
From that point onward, the question changed to:
"How are we going to make it happen?"
A Kickstarter deadline.
A clear list of deliverables.
A shared goal for the entire team.
That was the moment Ratatan truly began moving forward as a project.
Creating a game alone is not enough to succeed on Kickstarter.
The gameplay.
The world.
The characters.
The trailer.
The Steam page.
The community.
Everything must come together as a single experience.
Above all else, you must clearly communicate:
What kind of experience will players have with this game?
In other words, we weren't creating materials to explain our concept.
We needed to build a project that would inspire players around the world to say:
"I want to support this game."
That was the moment Ratatan truly became a project.
Next Time
So far, I've looked back at how the idea for Ratatan was born.
Starting next time, we'll finally dive into our Kickstarter journey.
Many game creators are interested in launching a Kickstarter campaign.
How did we prepare?
What were we thinking?
How did we turn an idea into a real project?
Using actual documents and data wherever possible, I'll share the process in as much detail as I can.