Making an Indie Game's Physical Edition

Hey guys, we're a small indie studio from Romania, we funded our video game Gibbous: A Cthulhu Adventure on Kickstarter 3 years ago, and we're now working on the physical rewards. Thought you might be interested in what it takes to make a special edition game box!

Step one: the box! Laser engraving on recycled wood. We dye the boxes a slightly darker color so when the laser etches into it, the design looks like the original wood. Add a small bit of double adhesive tape to the back. Add in pre-cut foam, cover it in satin. The double adhesive tape helps keep the stain in place so it stays nicely crumpled the way we want it. A good crumple is essential. Mmm. Good crumple.

Next up, USB STICK. Since the game is eldritch-themed, we went for a potion-style container. Add a ribbon with traditional Transylvanian motifs. Getting the knot and placement just right is tedious work that requires a lot of patience and adds quite a bit to production time, but we really want each box to look and feel hand-made and put together by an actual human that worked on the game :) (Cami is our artist, animator and music composer). Good knot is essential. Yeah. Good, good knot.

Gibbous is very cat-heavy, so we have our Pumpkin supervising everything. This requires a deep trance-like state and loud snoring.

Anyway, place sekrit message to backers in USB stick, stick it in the box and we're done. 199 left to go!

It took us 3 years to make and deliver the game digitally, and it will take a bit more time to make and ship all the game boxes. We have some of the most supportive and patient Kickstarter backers, so we were thrilled to be able to put together this special edition for them. 2000 people from all over the world chipped in so Gibbous could exist, and we're super grateful for each and every one of them. ?

It's an adventure game about a cat that starts talking because of her owne--- err, human - stupidly reads out loud from the Necronomicon. Being humanized is a downgrade for kitties, so her and her friends travel the world in search of a way to turn her back to a life of getting treats, having her litterbox cleaned, and no human worries whatsoever.

...And that's it. Hope you enjoyed this quick peek into making games. Gibbous has been our life for the past 4 years, mostly in digital form, and transforming it into something you can touch, display on your shelf, and raise a glass of wine to while throwing a log on the fire was so worth it. Yeah, one day we'll afford a fireplace. One day.

They keep saying adventure games are dead - ours seems particularly alive from where we're looking :)

Thanks for reading, happy holidays!

E: Since I'm being asked in DMs, here's where you can find the game:
http://gibbousgame.com/steam
http://gibbousgame.com/gog

All the best!