# Button City 2018 Financial Model

Indie narrative adventure game about cute animal kids saving their local arcade, targeting console and PC.

- Canonical: https://finamodel.com/startups/button-city-2018
- Excel download: https://finamodel.com/startup-models/button-city-2018.xlsx
- Category: Media/Gaming
- Model type: SaaS ARR / Valuation


- Founded: 2018
- Geography: USA (Albuquerque, New Mexico). [DECK, slide 9]
- Customer: B2C

## About the company

Button City is a low-poly, single-player narrative adventure about animal children protecting their local arcade. Its diorama worlds combine exploration, side quests, puzzles, colourful characters, and arcade mini-games around Fennel, a young fox, in a nostalgic coming-of-age story.

The 2018 concept targets three to four hours of core gameplay plus additional mini-games. It is framed as a premium, single-purchase release rather than a subscription or free-to-play game, with Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC/Mac named as target platforms; mobile and AR were extended targets.

The only cited prior release is the 2015 casual mobile game Sky Pets, with no performance data. A model should use a title-level P&L: development budget, launch unit sales by platform, store fees, marketing, and a sales-decay curve. No DLC, in-app purchase, or publishing economics are disclosed.

## What's included

- 5-year monthly revenue build with stage-appropriate growth assumptions
- Full P&L, headcount plan, and operating-expense schedule
- Cash-flow statement, runway, and burn-rate tracking
- Valuation via exit multiple with a DCF cross-check
- Returns analysis with MOIC and IRR
- Unit economics including CAC, LTV, payback, and cohort retention

## Product & value proposition

Low-poly single-player narrative adventure game mixing exploration, puzzles, and arcade mini-games.

Key features:
- Cute, low-poly art style
- Diorama levels with unique world navigation
- Explorable levels with side quests and puzzles
- Mini-games within an in-game arcade (Button City)
- Colorful cast of characters (protagonist: Fennel, a young fox)
- Nostalgic coming-of-age friendship story

Target content scope: 3–4 hours of core gameplay + additional mini-games.

## Revenue model

- Implied: premium single-purchase title (no subscription, DLC, or F2P mentioned).
- Target platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC/Mac; extended targets: Mobile, AR.

## Traction & metrics

Prior release: casual mobile game "Sky Pets" (2015). No performance data given.

## Competition / moat

Implicit differentiators (from product description): low-poly aesthetic, animal characters, nostalgia-focused narrative.

## Team & funding ask / use of funds

**Team**:
- Shandiin Woodward - lead website designer at Meow Wolf (interactive art installation, Santa Fe); co-founder of Albuquerque Game Developers Guild (501c3).
- Ryan Woodward - software developer at Ideum (museum touch screen interactives); co-founder of Albuquerque Game Developers Guild.
- Together: creators of "Sky Pets" (mobile game, 2015).
- Two-person married couple studio.

**Funding ask / use of funds**:
- Requested support for: development costs, dev kits, porting, QA, marketing, hiring a musician and sound designer.
- No explicit dollar ask stated in text.

**Budget slide** - all values redacted in the deck (shown as $XX,XXX / $XXX,XXX.XX placeholders):
- Average Monthly Burn Rate: redacted
- Highest Monthly Burn Rate: redacted
- Event Costs: redacted
- Projected budget (21 months): redacted
- Development runway assumed: 21 months

## Recommended financial model

- **Archetype + why**: Indie game development budget + launch P&L model. This is a pre-revenue studio seeking development funding for a single premium title. The appropriate model is a **game dev cost build + launch economics** model - not a recurring-revenue SaaS or marketplace model. It should cover: (a) development cost runway by month through launch, (b) launch revenue projections by platform across unit sales scenarios, and (c) a simple post-launch P&L rolling up to breakeven/ROI.

- **Forecast horizon & granularity**:
  - Pre-launch: Monthly, from funding close through target launch (Early 2020). Given a 21-month projected budget and a 2018 deck date, this implies launch ~mid-to-late 2020.
  - Post-launch: Quarterly for 2 years post-release.

- **Key drivers & assumptions**:
  - Development period: 21 months from funding close.
  - Average monthly burn rate:.
  - Peak monthly burn (hiring musician/sound designer):.
  - Event costs (conventions, press):.
  - Total development budget:.
  - Launch platforms: Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC/Mac; modeled separately or blended.
  - Unit price per platform:.
  - Platform revenue share:.
  - Unit sales at launch:.
  - Sales decay curve post-launch:.
  - COGS:.
  - Porting costs per additional platform:.
  - QA costs:.
  - Marketing spend:.

- **Scenarios (Base / Bull / Bear - which variables flex)**:
  - Bear: Launches on PC/Mac only; 5,000 units LTM; no porting.
  - Base: Launches on PC/Mac + Switch + PS4; 20,000–30,000 units LTM; minor DLC upsell.
  - Bull: All 4 primary platforms + mobile; 75,000+ units; sequel/licensing optionality.
  - Primary flex variables: unit sales volume, platform mix, price point, porting costs.

- **Required sheets / outputs**:
  1. Assumptions - all inputs clearly labeled and tagged.
  2. Development Cost Schedule - monthly burn × 21 months, headcount additions, event costs.
  3. Revenue Model - units sold by platform × net price per platform, by quarter post-launch.
  4. P&L Summary - total dev cost vs. cumulative revenue; breakeven month; ROI on investment.
  5. Scenario Toggle - Base/Bull/Bear switcher driving revenue sheet.
  6. Cash Flow - simplified: funding inflow, monthly burn (pre-launch), revenue (post-launch), net cash position.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is the Button City 2018 financial model free?

Yes. The Button City 2018 model is a free Excel download with live formulas.

### Can I change the assumptions?

Yes. The workbook is editable and its live formulas recalculate when assumptions change.