Quick update
about 2 months ago
– Wed, Mar 06, 2024 at 09:34:22 AM
Hi everyone, I hope everyone had a great end of year and are thus far enjoying a successful 2024. I know everyone would like more frequent updates, and when I have some news, I will make sure it goes out. As it stands, progress is being made. I still have no intention of not producing and fulfilling the campaign. I'm working most hours most days towards recovering everything I can, pay the various things that need paying and keep things moving forward as best I can.
As it stands right now, the issue is down to only money. I put aside everything that we conceivably can planning on being able to go into production and fulfillment for RQ. Today, I'm about $27k short of being able to pay for all production and all fulfillment bills. At the current rate, that means I should be able to pay all the necessary bills in about 4 months.
I realize that likely sounds like a lot, but there has actually been quite a lot of progress and we're definitely headed in the right direction. My priority is to get the game made, get it fulfilled, then honor anyone who prefers a refund.
Again, I'm sorry for how this has all gone. I'm well aware it's very overdue and has been too long. It is not forgotten however, and it isn't being given up on.
Thanks everyone, I appreciate you all!
Travis
Update for the end of 2023
5 months ago
– Fri, Dec 08, 2023 at 12:52:37 PM
Hi all,
I apologize for not updating as often as I, and all of you, would like. I will try to do better on that front. Generally, it's that there simply isn't much in the way of an update. What I'm trying to accomplish has no small amount of difficulties and setbacks, and consumes an enormous amount of time and energy. I saw one comment ask if the company had "imploded," and the answer to that is "Yes. Exactly." So, there's just a lot of pieces to try and pick up and move forward.
That being said, there are more bright spots today than yesterday, and there is some progress on RAT QUEENS. I have secured the ability to fulfill the campaign once I have the products in hand. As I'm sure you all know, fulfilling the campaign will be quite expensive so getting funds to handle this is a huge relief.
Where I'm at now is trying to navigate getting production complete and paid for. I expect to receive a new quote next week, then I am going to see what mountains I can move and make this happen.
Currently, the plan is to manufacture and fulfill all Rat Queens items in the campaign. All the extras, the expansions, everything. Some of the extra stuff (other games, etc) I won't be able to get, but I will do whatever I can to provide value to those backers when the time comes. I'll have to reach out to those backers individually to discuss what is possible.
Even if I can get manufacturing started before the new year, delivery will still be several months out, so I hope most of you can continue to bear with me. I'm not giving up on the campaign. I intend to fulfill it. I really hope you don't give up on it either.
I will try to update one more time before 2024, hopefully with good news, or at least, a tentative timeline. I appreciate all of you and, for what it's worth, I really am sorry this experience has been so terrible. I have backed a large number of campaigns and I love Kickstarter. I hate that this has helped turn a lot of you off the platform. And I hate even more if it's turned you off RAT QUEENS, which is a truly brilliant comic. I'm really sorry for that.
For those that celebrate, please have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I'll be in touch again soon.
Take care,
Travis
September update: refunds, et al
7 months ago
– Wed, Sep 27, 2023 at 08:50:30 AM
Hi everyone,
Not an enormous amount to report. Given the difficulties, I haven't been able to push production any more quickly than it's going. I will hopefully have better news on that front next month.
What we are making for sure are the base game and the two expansions. A few other items are still up in the air a bit, but I think there's a solid chance that the only items that are going to end up being impossible for me to get will be the other games purchased. In those cases, I will do my best to make it up to those effected backers.
I do want to offer as much transparency and clarity as it's possible to do. At this time last year, the company had 22 full time employees, a $200k/month burn rate, and we were growing every month. At that time...honestly, it was really exciting. I thought "I HAVE ARRIVED!" Hubris and stupidity I'm afraid. I knew then that Rat Queens (this project) was underwater as we had multiple full time employees on the project and mounting costs...but hey, when it is finally done, we will be able to absorb the loss and no big deal. More hubris and stupidity.
By November, revenue took a dangerous dip. By December, over 50% down. By January, over 60% down, and in my desperation to not make what now seem to have been the obvious changes, I doubled down on the belief that recovery was right around the corner. By the end of March, we had no employees left on payroll, including myself. A thing a few of us had spent a decade building took roughly 90 days to gut.
Looking back, it is obvious we had far too much overhead. We invested way too heavily in product lines we didn't really understand, and we were overspending to try and buy more of a market that was unavoidably shrinking. If I could go back in time and fix some of those things, I would. Sadly, I cannot, the only thing I can do is try to move forward and put out what fires I can, when I can.
Some comments have made mention of "the parent company bought a building!" There's some truth there, but mostly, this is something that is misunderstood. I did gather a group of outside investors that purchased a building. The company spent no money on this purchase. The agreement was that we would move our offices into 2 of the vacant units. At the time, I was really proud to feel like I was part of revitalizing the city where we were based, and our rent would go down! The company even received a local economic award. Unfortunately, we are no longer in those offices as we can't afford to pay the rent. Those investors aren't happy at all, and I feel their disappointment keenly. The building isn't so much a secret source of wealth for us as it is kind of a daily nightmare. Certainly near the top of things I wish I had done differently.
We made Rat Queens because we love Rat Queens. Kurtis gave us a chance, I believe, out of friendship with me. I feel that disappointment more keenly still.
Personally, I've put everything I have into trying to right the ship, and recover. I'm about as close to what most people would describe as "financial ruin" as I think you can be. I have no shortage of upset customers, backers, friends, colleagues, creatives, financiers, creditors, and so forth. If I could fix everything in a day, please believe that I would. I'm doing everything I can, every day, to try and recover. Not just this campaign, though this is a priority for me, but across the board. It's very difficult, and slow, but I'm doing the best I can every hour of every day. I know you're disappointed. I feel it. When I wake up in the middle of the night into panic attacks, I feel the disappointment from everyone. The enormity of the failure and disappointment is overwhelming some days.
I've been down before. I will stand back up. I absolutely believe that I'm going to recover, the company is going to recover, that this game is coming out, and that people will love it. The bright spots are coming a little more often. Please bear with me on this.
I've done a lot of thinking about refunds. I think if you truly would rather have your money back than the game, and you know there isn't an immediate option either way, it isn't fair for me to not at least try to honor that. If you would like a refund, please shoot me a direct message through Kickstarter. I'll build a database of the people who would like to be refunded, and as I can (please understand I may only be able to honor a handful a month, at least at first) I will get you taken care of as quickly as I'm able.
Sincerely, I appreciate all of you. I'm sorry this hasn't gone smoothly. I'm working on it.
Travis
Update for August
8 months ago
– Wed, Aug 30, 2023 at 11:04:52 AM
Hi folks,
Just a quick update (going to try to do these at least monthly until we finally get this wrapped up) for August. And to answer some questions, at least to the best of my ability.
As of yesterday, we set print quantity for the base game and expansions and I believe actual production begins soon. This means that we will not hit our goal of fulfilling in October, but that we WILL be fulfilling as soon as the product arrives. More precise dates as I have them.
As many of you have correctly surmised, the money for this campaign is long gone. Everything that could have gone wrong, almost every potential budget overage, just about anything I would not want to happen on a campaign, has occurred here. Ultimately, that rests on my shoulders as I was far, far too unplugged from this project and I'll never allow that to happen again. With that out there, that means a couple of things:
1. I'm leveraging everything I can personally bring to the table and the goodwill I've generated over the last 10 years (I have seen 41 other campaigns successfully to completion so most of the suppliers we work with are happy to give me the benefit of the doubt in producing and fulfilling this one) to get this done. I have no intention of this game not coming out. I love Rat Queens and I want to show that I have a deep respect for this IP.
2. We cannot offer refunds. There aren't any funds to draw from for it. Any funds I do have that can be redirected to this are being used to pay for production.
3. Some of the extras offered will not be available. Where I can, I will do my utmost to make it up someway, somehow. Right now, I'm doing everything I can to get the base game and expansions to us, and out the door.
4. The backerkit is unlocked. If you need to change your address, it can be done there. It will stay open until the last possible moment before shipping.
I know this sucked. I'm very sorry for that. I'm doing everything I can to make it up as much as possible to everyone. For those that have sent encouraging messages, thank you, it means an enormous amount. To those that send the other kind, thank you as well. I don't ever want to go through something like this again, which means I've learned invaluable lessons about unhappy backers that I won't soon forget. It's all very valuable and I'm sincerely grateful for all of it. I let this project run out of control, under the assumption that "well, we're doing pretty well overall...this will probably work out." Now I know things that are going well don't necessarily stay that way, and it takes far less time for an edifice to topple than it took to build it.
Again, thank you all. As I have more info, I'll share and I intend to at least communicate monthly going forward.
Travis
Hi Folks, just a quick update.
9 months ago
– Wed, Jul 26, 2023 at 12:27:19 PM
Thanks for hanging in there everyone. Resurrecting this project and trying to see it through has been an amazing learning experience for me and I'm really grateful to all of you for that.
Not a lot new since the last update. All production files have gone through the usual checks and corrections have been made where necessary and I believe we have fully approved files and physical production has begun. Our timeline remains about the same. Hoping for a late October fulfillment, but ocean shipping being how it is, it is possible that will be delayed. When I know more exactly the timeframe, I will communicate that to you.
As a reminder, the backerkit has been re-opened (and will remain open until we are shipping to backers) so if you need to change your address or anything like that, please do so!
Again, thank you all for your patience. I know the wait has really sucked. The game is coming though, and I think it's a really good one. Hopefully, that will somewhat make up for the abysmal crowdfunding experience.
Thanks for listening!
Travis
