Monaco grosses $120K before launch Pre-orders earn enough to pay off Indie Fund investment, says dev

Rachel Weber Senior Editor Tuesday 30th April 2013 Share this article Share

Companies in this article Pocketwatch Games

Heist hit Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine made enough money to pay back its Indie Fund investment before it had even launched, revealed its creator Pocketwatch Games.

"Man our direct sales have been crazy good with all this press," said developer Andy Schatz on Twitter.

"After Steam/Humble fees we've grossed $120K since December 10. Have to pay back $100K loan from Indie Fund first."

Monaco pre-orders went live on the Humble Store in December, followed by Steam pre-orders on April 17. Three days later and Monaco had made $120,000, despite not launching until April 24.

Indie Fund clearly has a talent for picking winners, Dear Esther made enough to repay its $55,000 investment in just 5.5 hours, and Q.U.B.E. by Toxic Games sold over 12,000 copies after 4 days on Steam, allowing it to repay the investment of $90,000.

"For me the most significant thing about the early success with regards to Indie Fund is that it shows that there are many ways of approaching funding, from crowdfunding to investment models like Indie Fund, to personal loans - I know a number of devs that have taken loans from other devs - to the traditional publisher model," Schatz told Joystiq.

"More options means the studios can customize their relationships to fit their personalities and their projects."