I have written many threads in the past, this is probably going to be the most controversial one I have ever ever written though. So I am going to break this down into 3 parts in order to help me get the information across in the best way I can.
So first the change. At some point in the next couple of weeks FTB will change from being a purely volunteer led enterprise into a legitimate registered Business. This is being done to allow us to start to do several things that we are currently unable to do. The first being it will allow us to sell FTB merchandise through our website. The second will allow us to also give mod developers the opportunity to sell their own merchandise through the FTB shop. Moving on from this we are also exploring the possibility of adding a second sponsor onto the FTB launcher. Finally it will give us the opportunity to add some very limited advertising onto the website.
So why are we doing this and why now? The honest answer is this is something that it is something that has been discussed for a fairly long period of time and I have always been highly reluctant to actually let this happen. The mentality I have always add is we were never in FTB for the money, we did it for the love of the project.
So what has changed? The reality is that FTB has grown far larger than any of us ever expected and it continues to grow. We also have several opportunities that were just not around when we started. As an example, invites to conventions and chances to do panels and events at these conventions. I have been fortunate to have received personal funding to go to a couple of these, however I would also like to give this opportunity to other members of the team. Revenue from merchandise and sponsorship may enable us to do this. There are also other areas that we want to look at like expanding into other games and trying to bring a much higher quality product to everyone.
Finally the running of FTB has almost become a full time job for some members of the team and whilst I dont expect to generate enough revenue to start hiring people, at the very least I may be able to help them out a little bit.
But. profiting off the mods and all that. This is something that we have looked at and also spoke to several mod developers about. Firstly we wont actually be including any specific mods in our own merchandise. This will be more about the FTB brand and as an example the artwork on our site and launcher. Secondly, we will be opening a shop as part of our website and all mod developers will be given the opportunity to sell merchandise relating to their own mod through the shop.
So launcher sponsorship. Right now there is currently a sponsorship deal in place and their always has been. This is the sponsorship deal we have with Creeperhost and is one that has been of benefit to both parties. We want to look into the possibility of adding a second sponsor onto the launcher.
On the subject of the launcher, there is one thing to be made very clear.
People will never ever be asked to pay to use the FTB launcher, to download any mod pack or for any updates.
This is sacrosanct. The launcher is the heart of FTB and we have no intentions of doing anything that forces anyone into actually paying for anything.
So what happens next, the first step will be the opening of the shop. We expect this to happen in the next couple of weeks. Samples have already been made and you can get a rough idea of what we are looking at here
Unleashed Hoodie
Ultimate T-Shirt
One thing that should be of note, whilst working on the samples for these items is the insistence that the actual T-Shirts and the printing should be to the highest standards. We have deliberately gone for premium t-shirts and a premium printing option. I want the levels to be of as close to collector quality as I can get.
The minimal amount of market survey that we have done for this has shown the level of demand for the t-shirts etc to be quite high so initially over the first week or 2 we will have a staggered release to ensure that the printers can physically keep up. On day one the plan is to take orders for 250 t-shirts/sweatshirts hoodies. If there is a need after that we will then probably start to take pre-orders. Right now it is impossible to say how large demand will be, but there are plans in place in case there is a larger than anticipated demand.
Finally, I understand that there are people who will get upset about this or wont be happy. I totally accept this and in some ways I agree. But I also know that if FTB is to continue to grow and get better beyond what it is now, then changes need to be made in order to help facilitate that.
(This thread will be left open for a bit for comments. Please feel free to post negative comments if you wish, however I would ask you to moderate those comments and remember that we have people of all ages reading this site
.
Finally although I have said this once, we should again make the point that we are not now nor ever going to ask for any form of payment for either use of the launcher or downloading of any pack.
So first the change. At some point in the next couple of weeks FTB will change from being a purely volunteer led enterprise into a legitimate registered Business. This is being done to allow us to start to do several things that we are currently unable to do. The first being it will allow us to sell FTB merchandise through our website. The second will allow us to also give mod developers the opportunity to sell their own merchandise through the FTB shop. Moving on from this we are also exploring the possibility of adding a second sponsor onto the FTB launcher. Finally it will give us the opportunity to add some very limited advertising onto the website.
So why are we doing this and why now? The honest answer is this is something that it is something that has been discussed for a fairly long period of time and I have always been highly reluctant to actually let this happen. The mentality I have always add is we were never in FTB for the money, we did it for the love of the project.
So what has changed? The reality is that FTB has grown far larger than any of us ever expected and it continues to grow. We also have several opportunities that were just not around when we started. As an example, invites to conventions and chances to do panels and events at these conventions. I have been fortunate to have received personal funding to go to a couple of these, however I would also like to give this opportunity to other members of the team. Revenue from merchandise and sponsorship may enable us to do this. There are also other areas that we want to look at like expanding into other games and trying to bring a much higher quality product to everyone.
Finally the running of FTB has almost become a full time job for some members of the team and whilst I dont expect to generate enough revenue to start hiring people, at the very least I may be able to help them out a little bit.
But. profiting off the mods and all that. This is something that we have looked at and also spoke to several mod developers about. Firstly we wont actually be including any specific mods in our own merchandise. This will be more about the FTB brand and as an example the artwork on our site and launcher. Secondly, we will be opening a shop as part of our website and all mod developers will be given the opportunity to sell merchandise relating to their own mod through the shop.
So launcher sponsorship. Right now there is currently a sponsorship deal in place and their always has been. This is the sponsorship deal we have with Creeperhost and is one that has been of benefit to both parties. We want to look into the possibility of adding a second sponsor onto the launcher.
On the subject of the launcher, there is one thing to be made very clear.
People will never ever be asked to pay to use the FTB launcher, to download any mod pack or for any updates.
This is sacrosanct. The launcher is the heart of FTB and we have no intentions of doing anything that forces anyone into actually paying for anything.
So what happens next, the first step will be the opening of the shop. We expect this to happen in the next couple of weeks. Samples have already been made and you can get a rough idea of what we are looking at here
Unleashed Hoodie
Ultimate T-Shirt
One thing that should be of note, whilst working on the samples for these items is the insistence that the actual T-Shirts and the printing should be to the highest standards. We have deliberately gone for premium t-shirts and a premium printing option. I want the levels to be of as close to collector quality as I can get.
The minimal amount of market survey that we have done for this has shown the level of demand for the t-shirts etc to be quite high so initially over the first week or 2 we will have a staggered release to ensure that the printers can physically keep up. On day one the plan is to take orders for 250 t-shirts/sweatshirts hoodies. If there is a need after that we will then probably start to take pre-orders. Right now it is impossible to say how large demand will be, but there are plans in place in case there is a larger than anticipated demand.
Finally, I understand that there are people who will get upset about this or wont be happy. I totally accept this and in some ways I agree. But I also know that if FTB is to continue to grow and get better beyond what it is now, then changes need to be made in order to help facilitate that.
(This thread will be left open for a bit for comments. Please feel free to post negative comments if you wish, however I would ask you to moderate those comments and remember that we have people of all ages reading this site
.Finally although I have said this once, we should again make the point that we are not now nor ever going to ask for any form of payment for either use of the launcher or downloading of any pack.
