On behalf of both myself and the DreamQuest team, we thank all of our fans and supporters that have helped us get Alpha Colony this far.  As you can see, it seems unlikely that we will reach our Kickstarter goal of $500k by this Sunday.  While this is disappointing, it has helped me focus on why I feel so strongly the need to give Alpha Colony to the world, deliver a modern update to M.U.L.E. fans, provide a positive family-connecting game to all my fellow gamer dads out there, realize Dani’s legacy, and complete my own childhood dream.

In the last 4 weeks we have come a long way and have made some impressive achievements:

1. Found partners and filled out a solid development team.
2. Fleshed out the game design and broadened our audience.
3. Engaged fan community and confirmed there is interest!
4. Gotten initial press coverage and some good contacts.
5. Despite rough start, almost 1,000 backers and $100k raised.
6. Creative and compelling rewards evidenced by an average pledge of $100.
7. Learned 20 lessons: http://www.alphacolony.com/20_ways_to_screw_your_kickstarter/

The world has shown it wants Alpha Colony to be built and therefore we are making some big changes in preparation for a second launch on Kickstarter!

1. I hired Eve Park on as our community manager.  Her casual games industry and social media experience will be invaluable.
2. Tomorrow, we will be sending a survey to Kickstarter pledges for feedback and ideas.
3. This week we are working on the current Kickstarter to surpass 1,000 backers and $100k .
4. We have scaled down Alpha Colony to focus on the core multiplayer game, reducing goal to $175k.
5. I will be posting bi-weekly progress updates to blog and Kickstarter from today until August 31st.
6. I will be personally handling @AlphaColony’s Twitter feed and posting daily updates.
7. I will be personally reaching out in advance to VIPs, colleagues, and family for a stronger launch.
8. Eve and I have an aggressive media and marketing campaign laid out for our re-launch.
9. I will complete the full GDD (game design document) and get feedback on it by the end of July.
10. We will launch August 1st, giving us 2 weeks to plan and prepare, but not lose existing interest.

Yours on Irata,

Christopher Williamson

Creative Director, DreamQuest Games