Huck Gee launches Gold Life "Battle Tails" Video Game Kickstarter... and we got an interview!

As we'd previously alluded to, the one-and-only Huck Gee (in collaboration with Nom Games and Bearo Toys) is creating a side-scrolling Tower Defense game for used on both the Android and iPhone/iTouch devices! Set in the Great Kingdom of Kinausu within his Gold Life universe, this game — "Battle Tails" — allows you to take the reigns and command one of three clans to defend the city: the mischievous Snow Monkeys of Clan Six Tails, the magic-wielding warrior tigers of Clan Ten Thousand Winds, or the rag-tag group of human punks and troublemakers known as the nefarious Boso Ichiban Clan. With a Kickstarter campaign created to fund it, this amazing looking game is already in development and includes a soundtrack by the great DJ QBert! We were able to catch up with Gee and ask him a couple quick questions about "Battle Tails":
SpankyStokes: Let's start with the elephant in the room: Why did you choose to use Kickstarter for this project? You're obviously capable of getting backers and sponsors, so you must've opted to use a crowd funding for a reason.

Huck Gee: I suppose I could've possibly funded this through traditional fundraising and investment methods but Kickstarter outweighs that route in a couple key areas. First and foremost crowd funding reduces risk, you get the support up front, there's less risk of releasing a product that doesn't sell or recoup it's investment. Second and just as important, Kickstarter is a wonderful PR tool. The groundswell of support early in development brings attention to your product and builds a community around it. And if you nurture that community it can have valuable input on the final design. It's win win for everyone involved.
SS: It's great to see that Gold Life has grown into such a well-developed world. When you first thought of it, did you have everything planned out in your head or did it evolve as you created pieces?

Gee: It evolved naturally. From the first time I coined the term Gold Life I envisioned a tiny snapshot of the world. And with every consecutive illustration and/or character design I've turned corners, explored new regions and the story has grown. There's still a ton of ideas and designs I haven't had a chance to put down on paper but BattleTails gives me a new outlet for these adventures. Looking forward to seeing what's next.
SS: I notice that a lot of the designs are things we've previously seen you build into custom creations… Are there some sneak peeks of potential forthcoming customs in there?

Gee: Quite possibly. ;)

SS: Do you have any plans once the game is made (we'll safely assume you'll reach the goal) to do any special out-of-game offers through the game to players? Like a Huck Gee shop within the game or something.

Gee: I've had some very interesting discussions with the crew at NOM games touching on elements we could build into this area. In game store? Exclusive custom or toy releases to players of the game? Perhaps having to unlock a character in game to gain access to purchasing it online? That idea puts an interesting spin on the blind box or collector phenomenon.

It's all just rough ideas at this point but it's fun exploring the possibilities.


SS: And just so we end on the most amazing note, can you please tell me how much the game will cost to download when it's done?

Gee: Free! It will be a free-to-play download.

Yes, that's right… "Battle Tails" will be completely free when it is released later this year! With some amazing rewards — including a large cache of Gee customs, 33 in total! — let's make this game happen, folks! Show your support and head on over to the Kickstarter campaign now!