Kickstarter seems to have become the go-to place for game developers both small- and big-time, and it's easy to see why. According to the Kickstarter blog, people are so keen to fund new video game ideas (or remakes of old ones) that so far they have pledged a grand total of more than $100 million to projects in the Games category. The amount pledged each year has increased dramatically. Here's a graph to demonstrate just how popular the use of Kickstarter to fund games has become:
So far, 1,476 games have hit their funding goals on Kickstarter. That's 1,476 games that we might not have ever seen had it not been for the crowd-funding service and players' desire for something new. The Kickstarter blog lists the following as great examples of games funded through the service, just in case you needed a reminder:
FTL (Faster than Light) (2013 IGF Finalist), a space simulator aimed at recreating the feeling of cruising through the galaxy in a spaceship.
Kentucky Route Zero (2013 IGF Finalist), a magical realist adventure game set on a secret highway in Kentucky.
Organ Trail (at PAX in the Indie Megabooth), a zombie apocalypse parody of the classic Oregon Trail.
Blindside (2012 IndieCade Finalist), a survival/horror adventure game with no graphics at all.
Guns of Icarus (at PAX in the Indie Megabooth). You are the captain of a steampunk airship in this post-apocalyptic MMO.
God of Blades (at Kickstarter Arcade), a sword-and-sorcery saga RPG for iOS.
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, the 25th anniversary edition of this classic where you jump, dash and twist through a warped dimension.
Strike Suit Zero (at Kickstarter Arcade), a fast and frantic space combat game for PC.
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller, a supernatural adventure game where you play an FBI agent on the hunt for a serial killer.
Zombies Run, an immersive mobile game where you help rebuild civilization after a zombie apocalypse.
Sidius Nova, a combination of turn-based and real-time space strategy.
If you're into tabletop games, the blog has a list of ten of those, too. Have you played any of the above? What's your favourite Kickstarter-funded game?