Many video game developers create their works every year. It’s a boom that is increasing, especially in the independent industry. One of the main reasons for this is crowdfunding. Nowadays, anyone can finance a video game through this. And we’ll explain how to do it in 4 steps.
Finance a video game with crowdfunding in 4 steps
Assuming that you already have part of your video game done, we’ll explain what you should do. Why is it important to have most of the video game done? First, because this allows you to show more attractive content to the public regarding what you’ve done. And second, people will be more motivated to finance a video game that’s about to be finished. Now, we begin to explain each step:
1. Make a community and get support
You’ll need to create a community of people who are interested in your game. Enough to for them to finance it and later, buy it. Start using social networks and especially, create a unique website for your video game. Where you explain all its details: the progress, the story, the characters… And then information of the crowdfunding campaign to finance it. This process usually takes 2 to 3 months.
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Search online communities of videogame fans. Introduce your videogame and your campaign through your family and friends, but above all, gamers. Don’t limit yourself to this, look for key people through networking that can contribute a high amount of money to your campaign. Or to help you promote it and make it become known. Remember, without a community that supports you, you’ll hardly be able to gather all the money you need.
2. Prepare your crowdfunding campaign
The first thing is to write a detailed description about your video game (genre, platform, story, etc). Mention who you are (your role in the team and your skills) and what you’ll use the money for. In this description you can include all the multimedia content you want. GIFs, demo videos, graphics, vice versa. The second thing is to create a creative and brief video where you appear talking about your campaign, take advantage of all the graphic resources in the video as well.
Establish how much money you need in a reasonable way. Now, we go to a part that is also vital: the rewards. Even if you have all of the above done, it won’t work if you don’t create a reward system. That is, for a certain amount of money received, you’ll give something of the same value in return. In video games, it’s usual to see specific perks for those who contribute first. Work in the perks well.
3. Launch your campaign, take advantage of the momentum
If you have successfully completed all of the above, you’re ready to launch your campaign. Choose a platform of your choice and publish your campaign. If you kept your audience in expectation, you should start receiving contributions during the first hours of release. We remind you that a campaign usually lasts 30 to 90 days. Therefore, it’s recommended that you develop a marketing plan for each week of duration.
Related: Do You Have What It Takes To Succeed In Crowdfunding?
The marketing plan allows you to have a list of actions for social networks. From posts inviting people to give money to several reward incentives. The most crucial moments of a campaign are the beginning and the end, so don’t worry if you notice that the contributions go down halfway. If during the course of your campaign you reach your goal, consider adding stretch goals. They’re widely used for video games.
4. Achieve success and don’t stop there
If you managed to reach your goal (or surpass it), congratulations! When your campaign ends, don’t think that you’ll receive the money and you’ll be able to start working on your videogame just like that. You must maintain contact with your community and announce the delivery time for the perks you promised to deliver. If you deliver perks responsibly and with the promised quality, you’ll keep a very good image before your audience.
Related: What To Do When You Finish Your Crowdfunding Campaign?
But above all, don’t forget to thank everyone the support you have received. Show your community how much you value them and appreciate all the support you received. From here, you must work on finalizing your game and creating a wonderful work of art through it. If it were the case that you didn’t achieve your goal, don’t be discouraged. Take the time to reflect on what went wrong, correct the mistakes and perhaps launch a new campaign in the future.
Never rush to launch a crowdfunding campaign to finance your video game. Take into account everything you’ll need to create your community and promote your campaign. And work to offer not only a high quality game, but to offer the best possible presentation. You don’t need to offer state-of-the-art graphics, you just need to show your passion and give your best. Good luck!
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