The Good and Bad of Crowdsourcing
There are so many games that were brought to life through crowdsourcing campaigns like those hosted on Kickstarter. Many of these games generated millions of dollars, but only some made it to the finish line. Here are the biggest successes and scams in Kickstarter history.
1. Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Everyone loves a good open-world RPG, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance quite literally delivered that with a historically accurate game focused on medieval living and realistic combat mechanics. Warhorse Studios raised over $1.85 million for their game and had a successful release in 2018 as one of the more unique RPGs out there.
2. Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight’s popularity is going strong to this day, despite it initially raising only $57,000. Developed by Team Cherry, this game was a love letter to 2D Metroidvanias of the past. With a vibrant hand-drawn art style and an intuitive combat system, it is considered one of the best Metroidvania games ever made.
3. Divinity: Original Sin
If you’ve heard of Baldur’s Gate 3, then it might not surprise you to hear that one of Larian Studios’ earlier games was actually Divinity: Original Sin. Similar to Baldur’s Gate, this game had a robust choice-based system, a detailed fantasy world, and fun combat mechanics. They raised over $1 million in funding and released in 2014 to mass success.
4. Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Many people know Pathfinder as a tabletop game similar to Dungeons and Dragons. However, in an attempt to bring the popular game to a digital medium, Owlcat Games raised $909,000 and had a successful launch in 2018.
5. Undertale
Undertale is another cult classic that rocketed Toby Fox to fame after he single-handedly created the beloved retro-inspired RPG. Although he only raised $51,000 initially, the game quickly grew in popularity and garnered millions in sales.
Toby Fox and/or Temmie Chang on Wikimedia
6. Shovel Knight
It seems gamers can’t get enough of the retro world of the past. With an eccentric pixel-art style and a modern take on the usual 8-bit platformers, Shovel Knight quickly became a beloved indie game. In fact, Yacht Club Games raised $311,000 to bring it to market.
7. The Long Dark
If you haven’t played this game and enjoy survival stories, then The Long Dark is worth checking out. Set in the harsh wilderness, this narrative-driven and realistic adventure game was released by Hinterland Studios in 2014 as early access. Impressively, the developers raised $256,000 on Kickstarter.
8. RimWorld
Few people will ever understand the sheer joy of RimWorld. It may not look like much with its simplistic art style, but this is one of the most complex and detailed colony survival sims out there. From everything to temperature control, mental breakdowns, and ideological cults, Ludeon Studios has created one of the most extensive interplanetary survival sims ever. They raised $268,000 before launching in 2018 to critical acclaim. Plus, the expansive modding community means you can probably play this game for the rest of your life without getting bored.
9. Pillars of Eternity
Similar to Baldur’s Gate, Pillars of Eternity is another RPG developed by Obsidian Entertainment. They raised a whopping $3.98 million and released their game in 2015, effectively rejuvenating the genre.
10. Shenmue 3
If you haven’t heard of this game, it might surprise you to learn it is one of the most, if not the most, successful games on Kickstarter. The developing company, Ys Net, raised a resounding $6.3 million and released it in 2019. Shenmue 3 was the long-awaited sequel to this cult classic, which explains why fans were raving.
Now that we’ve discussed the most successful Kickstarter games to come out, here are 10 that left people less trusting of games moving forward.
1. Star Citizen
With the goal of raising a ridiculous $500 million, it’s probably not shocking that Star Citizen has yet to meet this goal. The developing company behind it was Cloud Imperium Games, and they promised the ultimate space-faring experience. However, the sum just seems to increase, and there hasn’t been any hint of release since 2012.
Tyler van der Hoeven on Unsplash
2. DreamWorld
DreamWorld was another overly ambitious game that swore it was the “last game you’ll ever play.” The quintessential MMO experience did, in fact, release after raising $64,000. However, the game was certainly unfinished and was a major disappointment to all those who backed it.
3. Project Phoenix
Project Phoenix seemed like a surefire hit after raising $1.01 million. The Japanese-inspired RPG was backed by proven developers and veteran creators; however, the updates began to grow irregular, and no one has heard a word since.
4. TitanReach
After raising an impressive $430,000, TitanReach promised to deliver the next generation of MMO experiences. However, the development came to a halting stop after infighting and funding issues. At the end of the day, backers are still waiting for a finished product.
5. Mighty No. 9
Retro and Metroidvania-style games have had major success on Kickstarter, and Mighty No. 9 aimed to do the same after raising $4 million. The goal was to deliver an experience much like the classic Mega Man, but after a 2016 release, the game was a major flop. It seemed the developer team lied about certain features, and the overall quality left consumers wanting more.
Rob Fahey from London, United Kingdom on Wikimedia
6. Mansion Lord
With no connection to the well-received game Manor Lord, Mansion Lord was a mystery simulation game that managed to reach $30,000. Despite the money, the developing team never released a game and just vanished without another word.
7. Rewind: A Time Travel Game
Picking up on the excitement of virtual reality, Rewind wanted to create a one-of-a-kind time travel game in the virtual reality space. They managed to raise $128,000 before radio silence ensued. To this day, many consider this game a scam with no updates to be seen.
8. Battleborn
If the name sounds familiar, it’s because this game did, in fact, come out. Developed by Gearbox Software, Battleborn was meant to compete with titans of the gaming industry like Overwatch. However, despite using Kickstarter to launch pre-orders, the game released in an incomplete state and was shut down in 2021.
9. Revelation Online
This MMORPG wasn’t entirely funded on Kickstarter, but it did take advantage of some crowdfunding elements. Like most over-promising MMOs, it guaranteed an expansive world and deep lore, but all fans got in the end was a poor and unfinished game with wildly aggressive monetization tricks.
10. Yogsventure: A Fable of Heroes
This sandbox adventure game was created by a YouTuber who promised fans a unique and creative experience. This is probably why the fans managed to raise $567,000 in support of the game. However, the development collapsed, and no game has been delivered. The YouTuber even apologized, but no one has yet to see a refund.
