Since its debut in 2009,Kickstarterhas helped to fund over 80,000 projects, and while not all of them have turned out to be the game-changers that they promised their backers, there have been some real standouts over the years. Some ofthe most successful Kickstarter projects, both in terms of how much they’ve raised and how well they’ve been received after release, have been video game related.
Making video games is a pretty costly endeavor, and for indie developers, it’s often an impossibility under normal circumstances. Thanks to crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter,indie developersfinally have the chance to level the playing field, and devote their time to their passion. Over the years this has resulted in some pretty spectacular video games, but when it comes to the most successful Kickstarters, most of them already have a recognizable brand attached.
RELATED:10 Successful Kickstarter Games Releasing On Steam In 2022
The Witcher: Old World — $7,203,715
The most successful video game-related Kickstarter project on this list,The Witcher: Old Worldis an expansive board game that takes elements fromDungeons and Dragons, and combines them with fast-paced battles and competitive gameplay. Set years before Geralt of Rivia’s saga,The Witcher: Old Worldsees all five Witcher schools go head-to-head in a battle to secure the most monster trophies.
Each player takes on the role ofa different Witcher school, assembling a unique deck of cards to take with them on their adventure. Players will need to build a deck of attack, defense, gear, and Sign cards, which they’ll use to slay the board’s roaming monsters. Players can gain more cards by completing quests, winning bets, and battling their fellow Witchers.
The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls Requiem — $6,720,471
A massive expansion to the stellar board gameThe Binding of Isaac: Four Souls,Requiemadds over 250 cards to the game, spread out between new room cards, monster cards, loot cards, and more. For those that have been playingBinding of Isaac: Four Soulssince its December 2018 release, this upcoming expansion is sure to keep things exciting, adding a substantial amount of replayability to the game.
The card artwork and the mechanics of the game themselves imitate the source material perfectly, and help to capture the same intensity of its virtual counterpart. Forfans ofThe Binding of Isaac, the base game is definitely worth a purchase, and the expansion looks to be an excellent addition when it launches later this year.
Shenmue 3 — $6,333,295
Causing some controversy at the time, the highly-anticipatedShenmue 3sought to fund its development via Kickstarter, despite being supposedly backed bySony and Deep Silver. Despite the controversy,Shenmue 3became the fastest game to reach $1 million on the platform, and is still one of the most successful crowdfunded gaming projects in history.
Unfortunately, upon its release in 2019, fan and critical reception wasn’t all that hot, with many complaining that the developer hadn’t really taken on feedback from the previous games in the series, leading toShenmue 3feeling extremely outdated. Sales ofShenmue 3also weren’t that great, with the game never reaching the top 10 charts in Western regions.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night — $5,545,991
Achieving its modest goal of $500,000 in just four hours,Bloodstained: Ritual of the Nightproved that the general gaming public were desperate foraCastlevania: Symphony of the Nightspiritual successor. Thankfully,Ritual of the Nightended up being exactly that. Aside from the rough Nintendo Switch port,Bloodstained: Ritual of the Nightearned a great critical and fan reception in general, with players praising the game’s throwback pixelated visuals andCastlevania-like level design.
Mighty No. 9 — $3,845,170
Perhaps the most infamous gamingKickstarterever funded,Mighty No. 9marketed itself as being a trueMega Manspiritual successor, helmed by one of the original creators of the series, Keiji Inafune.Mighty No. 9received an unprecedented amount of backing for the time, being one of the first video game Kickstarter projects that were deemed truly successful.
Unfortunately,Mighty No. 9failed to live up to its inspirationin just about every way, with lackluster visuals and animations, laughable dialogue, and barebones gameplay.Mighty No. 9has lived on in infamy ever since, acting as a harsh reminder that sometimes projects don’t always live up to the hype behind them, and that just because people have given their money directly to the creators, that doesn’t mean the funds will be used effectively to make an inherently better game.
MORE:Jitsu Squad Interview: Creators Talk Beat ‘Em Up Essentials, Fight Fatigue, and Following Your Dreams
