TenEighty recently spoke with Alex Clark and Zach Craley about their upcoming Sugar Heist tabletop game.
Alex shared the news of the game’s release via a video uploaded to his YouTube channel on 6 May, sharing he had joined forces with Studio71 to help the release come to life.
Sugar Heist is a card game where players “collect, trade, and steal candy cards,” with the aim of stealing their opponents’ sweets in order to collect the “biggest stash of candy”.
Speaking about how Sugar Heist came to be, Alex and collaborator Zach Craley (Heroes Reborn, Avengers Assemble) cite their dream of releasing a card game, as well as the birth of Zach’s twins:
“We’ve been playing games together for years and kept saying, ‘We should make one!’ We finally buckled down to do it after Zach’s twins were born, so having babies on the brain informed the theme. Alex jokingly suggested a less family-friendly alternative, but we landed on the idea of stealing candy from babies – only we wanted to give them a chance to fight back.”
In order to help raise enough money to make Sugar Heist a reality, Alex and Zach launched a Kickstarter campaign, with a goal of raising $10,000. The fundraiser reached its goal within 40 minutes and has gone on to surpass the total to raise over $100,000.
“We were blown away,” the pair explain when asked about the speed at which the game was funded. “Since this is our first Kickstarter, I think we hoped maybe in the first few days, maybe day one if we were lucky. But hitting that goal in 40 minutes was pretty awesome.”
The amount the Kickstarter campaign has raised is also a testament to the community’s reaction, with both Alex and Zach’s fans sharing their excitement. “We’ve been getting lots of comments from people who can’t wait to play,” the pair share, before citing the numerous fan ‘crimes’ they’ve been receiving via the game’s social media campaign.
The mastermind: @Beyonce
Demo expert: @gameofkittens
The tech guy: @MKBHD
The muscle: ME 😂😇
Wild card: YOU #SUGARHEIST https://t.co/znWktUjPry— Alex Clark (@itsalexclark) May 26, 2020
Those who donate to the fundraiser are eligible for a host of perks, depending on the amount they pledge. Available tiers include the basic version of the game and the Diaper Bomb mini game at $20 or more; the aforementioned two games with an expansion pack at $35; and the aforementioned perks with a signed edition of the game for $85, amongst other options.
All items are expected to be delivered by December 2020, with shipping available worldwide. Diaper Bomb will be delivered earlier, with backers being able to print out the game as soon as the campaign ends, as the pair “wanted to do something fun that backers could receive right away”.
Only 7 more people till our 1000th backer! pic.twitter.com/bgwfyQ2O3l
— Sugar Heist (@sugarheist) May 30, 2020
When asked what it was like working together on the project, Alex and Zach share their history, having been friends since college, and the motivation they feel working with each other.
“It was really awesome to see Alex bring it all to life with his artwork,” Zach shares. “We worked on the mechanics of the game for probably a year with just some cards I put together with clipart, so seeing cards with his art for the first time was exciting.”
“For me, Zach is my rock – and was a constant motivator to perform at the top of my game,” Alex adds. “Whether it was his constant tweaking of the game mechanics, or his ethos that fans deserve the best we have to offer… It always pushed me to work harder than I ever have before.”
Thank you. You put @sugarheist on the front page of @kickstarter today! Much love- you are going to LOVE THIS GAME. It’s a sugar induced blast.
— Alex Clark (@itsalexclark) May 26, 2020
Those wishing to contribute to the Sugar Heist fundraiser can do so via its Kickstarter, with donations being accepted until 3 July at 12:00am EST.
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Ashley Strong recently signed with Slash Management. Alternatively, you could read about the launch of Sean McLoughlin‘s new coffee company.
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