I have decided: I will create a board game. This is the saying. Then there is the doing. And in between, the sea; a stormy sea, among the immense waves of the market, of publishers, publications, competitors, genres … The new millennium had just begun, and many were struggling to find a way to create a nuclear submarine that, under the surface of this stormy ocean could carry so many enthusiastic game designers to the shore of a finished board game.
For years Kickstarter, and crowdfunding in general, has been the lifeline for many independent designers and in general for those who wanted to get involved (from the table!).
This platform was the cradle of those who are today giants of the board game: names like Awaken Realms, or CMON, were born thanks to crowdfunding.
Countless titles, that they currently are at the top of the charts, were born thanks to very successful campaigns, for example games organized by us such as Nemesis, Gloomhaven, Tang Garden, the trilogy of the West Kingdom (Architects, Paladins, Viscounts), the famous Root, just to name a few.
A few years after the “far west” which, for better or for worse, hosted lucky or less lucky campaigns, Kickstarter has now become a very flourishing commercial modus operandi: born as a project incubator, nowadays it is a model of consolidated business that hosts millionaire campaigns of publishers who can no longer be said to be beginners (just think of Frosthaven, which brought Cephalofair more than 13 million euros, the most pledged campaign ever).
There are detractors and supporters of this “crowdfunding 2.0”: unlike what happened in the past, today you have to invest a lot in marketing and ads to have visibility on a campaign; it naturally follows that crowdfunding on this platform can no longer be thought of as a “launch pad” for emerging (and most often penniless) designers anymore. On the other hand, although no longer an incubator, this platform has now become the reference point for the “veteran gamers” of board games: the most popular titles are almost all coming from this platform, and if you choose the right game at the right time you can succeed in the purchase of unique copies, very valuable for collectors, avid gamers and, why not, serial speculators: some “All In” copies of these titles that have been very successful rose their value by double or triple compared to the purchase.
Of course, you need to be patient, because from the end of the campaign to the physical delivery of the pledged game the waiting can reach up to a year. On the other hand, one thing must be very clear to those who approach this world: even on millionaire campaigns, a project can be still in its early development, so not certainly ready for sale in a short time.
The world of crowdfunding is a cross and a delight for fans of board games, but it is undeniable that editorial talents and rare pearls were born here (some of those games are organized by us, for example This War of Mine, Clans of Caledonia, and of course … Zombicide!) and who can say if in a world without Kickstarter, we would have enjoyed these pearls of games…
Discover also the other games in our catalog and contact us for any request or question!
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