Kickstarter has undoubtedly had a notable impact on game funding, for better and for worse. The crowdfunding site enjoyed a golden launch in which there was a lot of excitement and success, with a mix of inexperienced and veteran content creators using the service. We'd suggest that its image has taken some hits, however, with funded projects that have been delayed or cancelled and related issues attracting negative publicity.

Nevertheless, the UK version of the site has passed a notable landmark - projects launched in the country have now received £100 million in pledges. That's a hefty figure, and as the graphic from The Guardian shows below, gaming has been the lead area.

Kickstarter pledges.png
Image: The Guardian

Though Technology is close behind, it should be noted that this is courtesy of these campaigns attracting higher average pledges due to the nature of the category. As you can see below, the number of pledges is significantly higher for games.

Kickstarter pledge numbers.png
Image: The Guardian

The figures are boosted by notable successes, the most significant being the Dark Souls Board Game, which accounts for nearly £4 million all on its own. These figures are only for UK projects, of course, with the US equivalent figures reportedly reaching $2 billion in pledges in November 2015.

While Kickstarter is still a notable force, its image is a little more complicated and mixed than the overwhelming positivity that greeted its launch. Nevertheless it's still proving to be a valuable funding platform for projects and creators of all sizes and types; unless you're trying to pitch a dance project, it seems.

[source theguardian.com]