Thanks for taking the time to check out what we've been working on. As you may or may not yet know, 8-Bit Funding is a new way to fund your game development project through crowdsourcing. This site will be designed similarly to Kickstarter only with a passionate focus on game development.
At this point you may be wondering a few things. So, with that in mind, I've already written a couple of answers to probable questions:
1. Why?
As a creative person I've always loved video games and the developers who create them. Unfortunately, I'm not really an artist or a programmer which limits my ability to develop video games myself. That said, I feel like I can contribute to the industry in a number of ways. Already, I have founded and established DIYGamer.com as one of the premiere websites for news and reviews on independently developed video games. Additionally, I've worked marketing for a number of indie developers as well and continue to maintain a part time position working with a local indie developer here in Portland, OR. So, needless to say, this new venture of mine is just one more step in the direction of being able to help indie developers any way I can, as a passion and a career.
2. What about Kickstarter?
Yes, my idea isn't entirely unique, nor am I claiming it to be. Off the top of my head I can name three sites that offer similar services: Kickstarter.com, IndieGoGo.com and RocketHub.com. Each caters towards creative types who wish to get their project launched by requesting funding in small increments from a large community. Kickstarter being the largest and most successful.
Still, despite these companies existing, the one thing I've noticed (particularly from Kickstarter) is the lack of proper game promotion. Most of their projects that are featured and marketed are film, music, or photography projects. I'm assuming this is because of the founders having some sort of background in this area... a passion. Gaming projects rarely ever get that kind of attention unless a site like Kotaku or Joystiq pick up on it.
Creating a site entirely focused on video game development projects allows developers to instantly access a market of people who want to fund other games (video, card, board) and know full well what our industries various terms and words are. Basically, when it all boils down to it, gamers marketing to gamers is far easier that gamers attempting to market to a much larger audience.
3. What's in it for you?
Well, aside from becoming further ingrained in an industry I love and want to support, like Kickstarter, 8-Bit Funding will take a small portion of the money raised on each project. I don't yet know the exact percentage, but I don't really believe it will be more than 5%, which is what Kickstarter takes. So, for example, if you earn $1,000 off your 8-Bit project, you'll receive approx. $950, minus any associated third party billing fees (PayPal).
4. When does it launch and how can I get involved?
We are planning on launching soon, hopefully in early January. Our developers are currently working on many of the smaller details of the site to prepare for a decent/usable launch.
If you're a game developer and you'd like to get involved please email me (contact page above) and we'll see about getting you in for our initial launch marketing push when the site goes live.
If you're a gamer who wants to get involved you'll simply have to wait until the site launches, unfortunately. I'd recommend following this blog as we'll certainly be updating with photos, screenshots, and other news as the site gets nearer to launch.
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Should you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact us (via the page above) or by simply commenting. This website is being designed for developers and gamers so your input is extremely valuable to our future.
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