The internet has not only made collaboration easier, it has also increased the scale and geography of media projects world over. Photographers, animators, film and video makers can realize their goals with crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, but what about game makers? Look no further than Gambitious, the new crowdfunding platform for video game development.
Overview of Gambitious:
Plenty of video games have been successfully funded using Kickstarter, but Gambitious offers a funding structure that's tailored to the gaming industry. Developers can choose to use the pledge/donations structure, or they can offer funders equity in the completed project. This means that funders will receive a set share of the game's earnings.
The Gambitious platform protects both developers and backers through its partnership with Symbid. Symbid is a company that provides crowdfunding support for many different white-label platforms. In doing so, Symbid provides backers with the legal and fiscal security offered by its well-researched policies and secure infrastructure. In turn, sites like Gambitious can tailor the crowd funding model to specific industries - like gaming! Furthermore, Gambitious ensures that developers maintain creative control and full Intellectual Property rights for both the equity and donation-based funding structures.
Developers: Registering Your Project:
To register your project you'll need to sign in or make an account. You can sign in with any major social media network such as LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. Gambitious is a platform for serious developers, so if you're registering a project you're probably part of a greater production studio with experienced team members. To ensure this level of professionalism, Gambitious requires you to fill out an application form which it will review during a period of 5 business days. This application is where you'll give information such as campaign duration, gaming platform and synopsis. Equity campaigns last for a fixed period of 180 days, pledge/donation campaigns can last up to 90 days, and hybrid campaigns can last up to 180 days. In addition to this application, you'll need to forward a marketing plan, crowdfunding plan, screenshots, and demo.
Supporting Gambitious Projects:
First things first: because Gambitious is a Dutch company, the site deals in Euros and does not yet support American investments. That being said, you can support a Gambitious project in three different ways: backing, pledging or following. An investor is a supporter who invests money into the project and will receive equity in return. A pledger gives a fixed amount and receives a perk relating to the project, such as credits or an advanced copy. A follower is simply interested in the project, and 'follows' it like one would follow a Twitter feed.
Once Funding Is Complete:
Gambitious doesn't release the funds of a campaign until the funding goal has been reached. This means that if a goal is not met, the funds go back to the backers and any equity agreements are considered obsolete. If a project reaches its fundraising goal, Gambitious releases the funds to the developer and the equity stake to the backers. 20 euros is the basic unit for supporting Gambitious projects: you can give as little as 20 euros to the project of your choice, and if you're a backer, your equity will be held in 20 euro shares.
Gambitious is the first crowdfuding platform devoted to games, and supports all the facets of the industry. If your team has a game you'd like to bring to life, Gambitious is worth a shot!
