10 Best Video Game Kickstarter Success Stories

By the mid-2010s, the movement for funding indie video games through crowdsource methods truly gained momentum.

Through platforms such as Kickstarter, less financially burdened game design teams found a way to create innovative games which would have been difficult or impossible without such crowdfunding support.

To be honest, there were quite a few instances where things didn’t go as planned in this process. Some projects fell short of their targets, some received funding but failed to deliver, and several releases garnered lackluster responses from critics.

Despite all obstacles, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to assert that many popular and impactful independent games from the past ten years have emerged through crowdfunding campaigns.

10. Darkest Dungeon

Loved Even Before Release

In March 2014, a fundraising drive was initiated for the game “Darkest Dungeon,” aiming to collect a total of $75,000.

It exceeded that goal spectacularly, ultimately raising over $313,000 by the end of its campaign.

Approximately one year after, the game was introduced on Steam in its Early Access phase, skillfully integrating suggestions from a consistently expanding community of players.

As a gamer diving into this new title, I quickly realized why it was making waves – the streaming community couldn’t get enough of its challenging gameplay! This gave the developers a rich vein of content to tap into as they continued refining and updating the game.

Eventually, Darkest Dungeon launched in full at the start of 2016, continuing its earned acclaim.

9. Shovel Knight

Put Yacht Club On The Map

Initially, Shovel Knight was conceived as a relatively small-scale endeavor for a retro-style action platformer, evoking the charm of timeless NES games such as Mega Man and Ducktales.

In 2013, their Kickstarter campaign was initiated with a reasonable target of $75,000. However, it exceeded expectations and surpassed several additional targets (stretch goals). Eventually, the total amount raised went beyond $310,000.

The game was released to positive reviews about a year later.

Thanks to the massive support we received during our crowdfunding campaign and the game’s amazing performance afterward, I’ve been able to work tirelessly on updates and improvements for this game, ensuring it keeps getting better and better. (Yacht Club Games)

Initially, the game was expanded with three extra campaign modes and a multiplayer combat feature. Moreover, it had two separate games as well, which served as spin-offs.

Shovel Knight has been a significant symbol of successful crowdfunding campaigns, featuring in various games, both large and small-scale productions.

8. A Hat In Time

Cuteness Always Wins

2013 saw the launch of crowdfunding campaign by the Danish game studio, Gears for Breakfast, for “A Hat in Time”, an affectionate tribute to classic platformer games from yesteryears that involve collecting items.

At the start, we aimed for only $30,000 in funding, but due to a significant buzz surrounding the project, we managed to double that amount within the first two days of the campaign.

The campaign ultimately raised over $296,000 and qualified for a self-published release on Steam.

Due to surpassing several fundraising milestones, the game benefited from a variety of upgrades, such as complete voiceovers, extra stages, and the ability for users to customize their own content.

Initially, the launch on both Mac and PC systems was managed by Gears for Breakfast, whereas the adaptations for consoles were taken care of by Humble Bundle.

7. Hollow Knight

Goodwill DLC

In late 2014, Team Cherry’s masterpiece, known as “Hollow Knight,” initiated a Kickstarter campaign to gather approximately $35,000 in financial support.

As a gamer, I’m thrilled to share that our campaign not only hit but surpassed our target! By the time the curtain fell on the fundraiser, we had racked up an amazing A$57,000 plus – a massive boost for our gaming community!

Following the game’s full release in 2017, it gradually received four DLC packs of varying scope.

As a passionate fan, I was thrilled to receive all four of these packs absolutely free, rather than having to purchase them individually.

Originally, it was planned for there to be five DLCs. However, the decision was made to separate the last expansion into a standalone game called “Hollow Knight: Silksong”.

6. Undertale

Small Game, Big Impact

In the middle of 2013, an ordinary day saw the start of a Kickstarter initiative by video game creator Toby Fox, who is passionate about romhacking, for his debut independent project titled “Undertale“.

Man, I never thought the fundraising goal for this game campaign would be such a breeze to reach! Starting with a humble target of only $5,000, it blew past my wildest expectations, ending up at an astonishing total of over $50,000! That’s ten times the original amount, just wow!

There’s no necessity for us to explain what occurred afterward – after its launch in 2015, Undertale quickly became a sensation, to state it modestly.

Although created using Game Maker Studio and considered relatively straightforward, Undertale has risen to prominence as a significant title within the independent gaming world, catapulting Toby Fox to stardom among game developers.

5. Outer Wilds

Award-Winning Student Project

Initially, the game “Outer Wilds” was brainstormed and developed as part of a university project, with the role of its director, Alex Beachum, being to create it as his thesis work.

Following victories at the Independent Games Festival in 2015, Beachum assembled a team to transform the project into a marketable item.

The subsequent Fig campaign raised over $126,000, beating the funding goal by a slim margin.

In simpler terms, the campaign employed equity crowdfunding, allowing supporters to purchase a piece of the game’s growth process directly.

After further advancements, the publishing rights and ownership share of the game were acquired by Annapurna Interactive. Eventually, they released the game in the year 2019.

4. Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night

IGA’s Big Comeback

Back in 2015, one of the main characters from the highly cherished game “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night,” revealed that he was personally developing a fresh perspective within the Metroidvania genre entirely from the ground up.

The game titled “Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night” initiated its Kickstarter fundraising with an aim to gather $500,000.

Not only did that goal get shattered by multiple factors, but it ultimately accumulated more than five and a half million dollars, transforming a humble game into an empire in just one night.

After its launch in 2019, various stretch goals for the campaign were successively incorporated into the game. These included extra campaigns, new characters, a personal appearance by IGA within the game, and even standalone spin-offs.

For nearly a month, Bloodstained held the title of most funds raised on Kickstarter in a game, but then Shenmue III surpassed it.

3. Superhot

Made In A Week

Back in 2013, a compact group of programmers developed the game “Superhot” during the 7-Day First Person Shooter Challenge – an exciting programming competition where participants aimed to create a game within a single week.

The favorable response to our initial game prototype inspired us to start a Kickstarter campaign the next year, aiming to raise $100,000.

The campaign more than doubled that goal, ultimately raising over $250,000.

2016 saw the launch of the game on PC, Mac, and Linux platforms. Later that year, it was also adapted for use with Virtual Reality headsets.

The game Superhot performed sufficiently to be adapted for various home consoles during that era, and even spawned a minor sequel titled Superhot: Mind Control Delete.

2. Hypnospace Outlaw

The Future Is The Past

In 2016, Hypnospace Outlaw was unveiled through a Kickstarter campaign, captivating many with its humorous and affectionate imitation of the internet culture from the late ’90s.

As a dedicated gamer backing this exciting project, I’m thrilled to share that our initial target of $28,000 got surpassed! By the final day of the campaign, we collectively managed to gather an impressive total of nearly $36,000 – talk about gaming community power!

In the development phase, the game was recognized as a finalist for the prestigious Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the 2019 Independent Game Festival.

Approximately several months past, the game Hypnospace Outlaw made its debut, receiving favorable reviews on PC, Mac, and Linux systems. A console version followed about a year afterwards.

The original game spawned a first-person shooter spinoff called “Slayers X”, and a follow-up named “Dreamsettler” is being developed at the moment.

1. Monster Prom

Just Silly Enough To Work

Back in 2016, I was thrilled when the Barcelona-based studio, Beautiful Glitch, unveiled their Kickstarter campaign for Monster Prom – an eccentric blend of a dating simulation and a competitive four-player board game that quickly captured my heart!

At first, we aimed for just €8,000 as our fundraising target, but in the end, we surpassed expectations and collected more than four times that amount, totaling around €32,000.

Due to stretch goals, the game gained extra storyline conclusions, new playable and romantic characters, as well as some quirky enhancements.

In 2018, the game was well-received by critics. Later on, in 2020, it underwent a significant expansion called “Second Term.

The original game, titled “Monster Prom,” has expanded into a series. Since then, we’ve seen the release of “Monster Prom 2: Summer Camp,” “Monster Prom 3: Roadtrip,” and the upcoming title in development, “Monster Prom 4: Monster Con.

2025-02-17 18:10