Kickstarter has been almost a boon to video game developers and the fans alike. The crowd funding based platform provided the developers with the required financial backing for their projects, which in turn bestowed the fans with their much anticipated games and their sequels, making it a win-win situation for both.
But going by the recent reports of ICO Partners: a UK based market analysis firm, the cash that is being pledged for boosting video games have dropped sharply in comparison to the amount garnered last year.
The first half of the year being over, the firm reported that Kickstarter garnered an amount of only $8.2 million so far which is far inferior to last year. Last year saw an average total of $40 million. Thus, going by the figures of this year, it would be safe to say for now that this year cash pledge count is not even close to half of what was earlier.
The reasons for such a sharp decline could be many. One of that could be the lack of big gaming titles up for Kickstarter pledge this year, last year saw games like Yooka-Laylee and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night earning millions from fans. Shenmue 3 also accumulated $6 million from a campaign between 15 June and 15 July, 2015 but the disappearance of big names may be affecting the growth.
The advent of other platforms too can be cited as a reason for this sharp decline of Kickstarter. Psychonauts 2 garnered an average of $4 million from another platform called ‘Fig’, so did Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch which accumulated $445,000.
One more reason for this sharp decline may be linked to the results which fans received after putting in pledges. Mighty No 9 was the highest funded project at Kickstarter which was launched, earning $4 million followed by Pillars of Eternity at $3.9 million but it got several delays before its release and further on met with wide criticism.
These might collectively be the reason for the recent scenario or it may be just one of these or not at all. Kickstarter is still a good way to get game projects funded and we hope big titles come in to the picture soon. The developers must also be careful as what they promise and what they deliver. Let’s wait for the next half of the year and see the results.
