Part of your crowdfunding journey
Our role starts well before mass production, helping publishers make informed manufacturing decisions as the project develops.
With more than ten years of experience working with crowdfunding projects, we have supported many campaigns on platforms including Kickstarter, Gamefound and BackerKit. By working together with publishers and creators early in the process, we can help identify practical production options, understand cost implications and prepare the project for a smoother transition from idea to campaign to production.
We work with publishers throughout the manufacturing process:
Before your campaign launches
The best foundation for a strong crowdfunding project is a clear understanding of the game itself, including the components, materials and production requirements that make up the final product.
Before launch, we work with you to narrow down component specifications, prepare quotations, plan for stretch goals and build a realistic production timeline. By doing this, you gain a clear understanding of the expected costs, feasibility and timing of the project. This helps you structure the campaign in an open and informative way, with clear expectations for both you and your backers.
Quotations, stretch goals and quantities
For crowdfunding projects, the final production quantity is often not known before the campaign launches. We will therefore prepare quotations at multiple production quantities, giving you a clear view of how the unit cost changes as the campaign grows. Our quotations are itemised, allowing individual components and options to be swapped in or out and making it easier to compare different configurations and their associated costs.
We will also separate the base game from extra options, upgrades and stretch goals. This helps make it easier to understand the cost impact of individual additions and compare different configurations to decide on the components for the base game, the stretch goals and potential add-ons. The goal is to give you a quotation structure that is flexible enough to develop alongside the project, while still giving you a realistic basis for planning your manufacturing budget.
Developing components and production options
Once the components of the base game are defined, we can work with you to refine the specifications and explore different production options. This can include reviewing materials, dimensions, finishes and construction methods to find the right balance between quality, functionality and cost.
For custom or less common components, we can research suitable materials and production methods, discuss options with specialist suppliers and, where needed, produce samples to test a proposed solution. We will work with you to compare the different options, including their advantages, limitations and implications for cost, lead time, tooling, assembly and packaging.
Planning the production timeline
Before launch, we will work with you to build a realistic production timeline based on the defined specifications of the game and the components involved. This includes planning for artwork finalisation, pre-production approval, mass production and shipping.
We also know from experience that projects can continue to evolve during the campaign as new ideas and feedback come in. Having a realistic production framework in place before launch gives you a strong basis for planning, while still leaving room for the project to develop.
During your campaign
With the campaign finally live, often some of the most valuable feedback starts to come in. You can see which stretch goals backers are most excited about, what questions keep coming up and what new ideas the community brings to the project.
That feedback can be incredibly useful. It may lead to changes, new stretch goals or different ways of presenting the game. Or the campaign may simply perform far better than expected, creating opportunities that were not part of the original plan.
Boda Games will continue to support you during this stage. We can discuss new ideas as they come up, look at the manufacturing implications and help you explore what is practical for the project. The aim is to give you a manufacturing partner you can keep talking to while the campaign develops, rather than only reconnecting once the campaign is over.
From funded campaign to production
When the campaign is funded and closed, it is time to make your board game design a reality and turn it into a project that is ready for production.
From there, we will work with you to align the different parts of the project and prepare everything for the next stage: pre-production, followed by mass production. We will also prepare an updated production timeline based on the final scope of the project, giving you a clear schedule that can be shared with your backers.
Together, we will review the final quantities, confirmed stretch goals, add-ons, component specifications, materials, finishes and packaging requirements. All of the decisions made before and during the campaign can then be brought together into a clear manufacturing plan.
Pre-production
Once the manufacturing plan is confirmed, the next step is preparing everything for print and production.
We will provide the appropriate artwork templates sized for your components and work with you to check that the files are ready for printing and meet our print requirements.
From there, we will produce a pre-production copy based on the final specifications of the game. This gives you the opportunity to review the complete product, including the artwork, components, packaging and overall presentation, before moving into mass production. It is also a great milestone to share with your backers, who are often eager to see the game taking physical shape and follow its progress toward production.
Divinity Original Sin:
The Board Game
Mass production and quality control
Once the pre-production copy is approved, the project moves into mass production. We will manage the production process and keep you updated as the game moves through the different stages toward completion.
Quality control is carried out throughout production to help ensure the finished games meet the approved specifications and expected quality standards. We will also provide progress updates along the way, giving you useful milestones that can be shared with your backers.
Shipping and fulfillment preparation
Crowdfunding projects often ship to backers all around the world, which means the finished production usually needs to be split across multiple destinations.
Boda Games will help coordinate this process, working with the different logistics partners involved and preparing the shipment according to the agreed distribution plan. Whether the games are going to fulfillment hubs, warehouses or distributors in different regions, we will help organize the split to make the transition from production to fulfillment smoother and more cost effective.
Ready to start your crowdfunding project?
The earlier we become involved, the more we can help you build a strong manufacturing plan around your game and campaign.
Request a quote