BPBeacon Pines Financial Model
Media/Gaming Startup Financials (Free Excel Download)
Beacon Pines is a cute-and-creepy narrative adventure game set inside a magical storybook, developed by indie studio Hiding Spot Games.
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About this model
Beacon Pines is a peaceful narrative adventure from Hiding Spot Games, presented in a hand-illustrated storybook style. Players explore, solve light puzzles, and collect word-based charms that rewrite pivotal moments, producing branching timelines without combat.
The title is a premium one-time purchase planned for Steam, Itch.io, and Nintendo Switch, with optional ports to Xbox, PlayStation, Stadia, and Luna. The publisher pitch seeks marketing, event support, platform relations, localisation, and potentially console-porting support; Kickstarter served as community funding and validation.
The Kickstarter raised $84,548 from 2,772 backers. A Steam demo launched in January 2021, alongside a 609-member Discord and 1,097 Twitter followers. A title-level model should stage development and publishing costs against launch units, publisher revenue share, platform mix, and long-tail sales.
A turnkey financial model
Live formulas, no hardcoded values
Outputs are driven by live formulas, so the workbook updates from its assumptions instead of relying on hardcoded results.
All assumptions in one tab
Inputs are clearly marked in the Assumptions tab and separated from calculations, making it clear what to change and what to leave intact.
Statements always balancing
For integrated-statement models, the balance sheet, cash flow, and supporting schedules tie through properly.
Distinct schedules for clarity
Debt, working capital, taxes, and cash flow can get messy quickly. We group calculations in clear schedules, not across disconnected tabs.
No hidden macros or external links
There are no unexplained external workbook links or macros to undermine auditability or portability.
Changes flow through the model
Update a key driver and see the impact carry through the forecast, financing, and return outputs. We never use hardcoded numbers in formulas.
About Beacon Pines
How to build a detailed financial model for Beacon Pines
A complete walkthrough of the business, drivers, and assumptions behind the downloadable Beacon Pines model - distilled from its pitch deck and publicly available information.
Product & value proposition
- Narrative adventure game with no combat; peaceful exploration, character-driven dialogue, and light puzzle-solving.
- Core mechanic: discover "charms" containing words that let the player rewrite key story moments, creating branching timelines.
- Art style: beautifully illustrated storybook aesthetic (hand-illustrated by Ilse Harting).
- Planned platforms: Steam, Itch.io, Nintendo Switch; optional expansions to Xbox, PlayStation, Stadia, Luna.
- Framed as a pitch to a publisher for marketing/outreach, event support, platform relations, optional console porting, and optional localisation.
Revenue model
- Premium one-time purchase game (price point not stated in deck).
- Primary channels: Steam and Itch.io (PC); Nintendo Switch (console).
- Optional additional channels: Xbox, PlayStation, Stadia, Luna.
- Publisher would share in revenue under a standard indie publishing deal (rev-share structure not disclosed in deck).
- Kickstarter used for community funding and validation, not primary commercial channel.
Traction & metrics
All from:
- Kickstarter gross funding: $84,548
- Kickstarter backers: 2,772
- Steam demo launched: January 26, 2021
- Discord community: 609 users
- Twitter followers: 1,097
- Top Kickstarter countries: US, UK, Canada
- Studio prior titles: Flipping Legend (#1 iOS MetaCritic 2017, Google Indie Game Festival winner 2017); Ephemerid (IGF 2015 Excellence in Audio winner)
Competition / moat
Not explicitly stated. Implied differentiation:
- Unique "rewrite the story" mechanic via charm system.
- Pedigree studio (two award-winning prior titles).
- No combat - targets a distinct cozy/narrative segment distinct from action-heavy indie titles.
Team & funding ask / use of funds
Team (Hiding Spot Games):
- Matt Meyer - Founder, lead developer, composer, writer; 11+ years game dev experience.
- Ilse Harting - Artist; all illustrations in Beacon Pines.
- Brent Calhoun - Writer, community engagement.
- Tim Garris - Marketing, community engagement.
Recommended financial model
- Archetype + why: Premium indie game launch P&L - single-SKU one-time-purchase title across multiple digital storefronts. Revenue is units sold × price, net of platform fees (Steam ~30%, Nintendo eShop ~30%). No subscription, no in-app purchase, no recurring revenue. Model should capture launch spike + long-tail sales curve typical of indie titles.
- Forecast horizon & granularity: 3 years post-launch (Year 0 = dev/pre-launch; Years 1–3 = post-launch). Monthly granularity in Year 1 (launch spike matters); quarterly in Years 2–3.
- Key drivers & assumptions:
- Launch price (PC): $14.99–$19.99; mid-tier narrative indie benchmark
- Launch price (console): $19.99; console premium standard
- Platform fee (Steam, itch.io PC): 30% storefront cut
- Platform fee (Nintendo Switch eShop): 30% storefront cut
- Publisher rev-share: 30–40% of net (developer side) - standard indie publishing deal range; exact split not in deck
- Steam wishlist conversion rate: 10–15% of wishlists convert to sales in launch week - industry benchmark for narrative/cozy genre
- Steam wishlists at launch: 15,000–25,000 - not disclosed; estimated from demo launch date (Jan 2021) + 2-month wishlist accumulation for a well-reviewed demo with Kickstarter proof
- Kickstarter backers as launch buyers: 2,772 backer copies pre-sold; deduct from Day-1 Steam sales to avoid double-counting if keys are distributed
- Console launch lag: 6 months post-PC launch (Nintendo Switch port subject to publisher support per slide 10)
- Console unit mix: 25% of total lifetime units on Switch; 75% PC
- Long-tail decay: monthly sales decay ~20–30% MoM after launch window; recovers at major discount events (Steam sales, Nintendo eShops)
- Discount events: 2× per year at 25–40% discount; each generates ~1.5–2× baseline week sales
- Development cost basis: pre-funded via Kickstarter ($84,548 gross) + prior studio capital; publisher deal covers marketing/porting costs (not quantified)
- Marketing spend: borne primarily by publisher; developer share negligible post-deal
- Headcount cost: 4-person team; small fixed monthly burn; model as a sensitivity on dev runway vs. royalty payback
- Scenarios (Base / Bull / Bear):
- Bear: Low wishlist-to-sales conversion (8%), limited console port, no major press coverage → ~15K units Y1
- Base: Mid conversion (12%), Switch port in Y1, moderate press → ~30K units Y1
- Bull: Viral/press breakout (à la studio prior titles), Switch launch-day co-release → ~75K+ units Y1
- Flex variables: launch wishlists, conversion rate, console timing, discount frequency, publisher rev-share %
- Required sheets / outputs:
- Assumptions dashboard (all drivers in one place)
- Units model (PC vs. console, monthly, by scenario)
- Revenue build (gross revenue → platform fees → net revenue → publisher split → developer net)
- Cost build (dev headcount burn, minimal opex; publisher costs excluded as off-P&L)
- Developer P&L (net royalty receipts vs. ongoing costs)
- Cash flow / royalty payback timeline (when does developer recoup vs. publisher advance, if any)
- Sensitivity table: units sold × price × rev-share → developer net
Frequently asked
Is the Beacon Pines financial model free?+
Yes. The Beacon Pines model is a free Excel (.xlsx) download with live formulas. Sign up with your email and the workbook is yours to keep, review, and edit.
What's included in the model?+
A 5-year monthly forecast with P&L, cash flow and runway, valuation (exit multiple plus a DCF cross-check), MOIC/IRR returns, and unit economics, with live formulas throughout.
How was this model built?+
It was built from Beacon Pines's pitch deck and publicly available information, then structured to investment-banking standards as a fully editable Excel model.
Can I change the assumptions?+
Yes. You can change assumptions and the live formulas will recalculate in the downloadable Excel model.
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