I’ve backed a few things on Kickstarter in the past year, and I’m apparently not the only one. Today, the company shared some numbers as to what types of things are getting the most funding on the platform. Somehow I’m not surprised that it’s games.
From an actual, physical console to iOS games, you can find it on Kickstarter to back.
It hasn’t always been that way though, says Kickstarter. Games jumped from the 8th position to the 1st one in just the past year.
Here’s the full category breakdown for 2012:
1. Games — $50 million
2. Film — $42 million
3. Design — $40 million
4. Music — $25 million
5. Technology — $16 million
In 2009, games brought in just $48,190, hopped to a half-million in 2010, and then exploded in 2011. Still though, a jump from $3M last year to $50M this year is astronomical. As the platform gets more popular, it makes sense that project categories will see an increase, but this is a testament to those raising money…they’re actually shipping the goods.
Why now? Why so much? Why so fast? Here’s what Kickstarter had to say about it:
Games give players the power to take control and decide what happens. Kickstarter gives backers the power to take control and decide what happens. The combination of the two has produced some memorable events. Incredibly, all of this has happened in the six months since the launch of Double Fine Adventure. While it’s still too early to understand the full impact, it’s clear that big changes are happening in the world of games.
If you’re an independent game developer, now might be the time to give Kickstarter a chance for your fundraising needs. It might be the difference between launching a title and it never seeing the light of day. The fact that Kickstarter gets a piece of the fundraising action means that this company is going to be worth a lot of money.
[Photo source: Flickr]