1. Online Games Consulting & Services
Analysis of USD and GBP video game projects on Kickstarter
State of Kickstarter– June 2013
2. Online Games Consulting & Services
Data analyzed
Data is collected automatically from kickstarter.com
Include projects across all categories
Include projects that ended after 1st of Jan 2013
Include projects that ended before 8th of July 2013
The focus is put on video games but all categories are
compared in the beginning to highlight US vs UK trends
GBP figures converted using a flat rate 1 GBP = 1.6 USD
Methodology
3. Online Games Consulting & Services
GLOBAL DATA
2013 first half – across all categories on Kickstarter
Online Games Consulting & Services
4. Online Games Consulting & Services
Number of projects
GLOBAL DATA
-
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
4,500
# Projects
# Projects
Success full project
5. Online Games Consulting & Services
% Projects completed by category
GLOBAL DATA
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Success Rate
6. Online Games Consulting & Services
Total $ raised
GLOBAL DATA
$-
$10,000,000.00
$20,000,000.00
$30,000,000.00
$40,000,000.00
$50,000,000.00
$60,000,000.00
$70,000,000.00
$ raised for each category of project
7. Online Games Consulting & Services
Average pledge per project
GLOBAL DATA
$-
$10,000.00
$20,000.00
$30,000.00
$40,000.00
$50,000.00
$60,000.00
$70,000.00
$80,000.00
$90,000.00
$100,000.00
$ raised / project
8. Online Games Consulting & Services
Average pledge per backer
GLOBAL DATA
$-
$20.00
$40.00
$60.00
$80.00
$100.00
$120.00
Average pledge / backer
9. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GENERAL
Comparing the US and UK Kickstarter ecosystem across all categories
Online Games Consulting & Services
10. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GENERAL
Number of projects
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
# Projects vs # Successful Projects
US Projects
UK Projects
US Funded Project
UK Funded Project
11. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GENERAL
% Projects successfully funded by category
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
% of funded project
US Success Rate
UK Success Rate
12. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GENERAL
Average % funded for successful games
0%
50%
100%
150%
200%
250%
300%
350%
Average % funded for successfull games
% of pledge / goal US
% of pledge / goal UK
13. Online Games Consulting & Services
Online Games Consulting & Services
$-
$10,000,000
$20,000,000
$30,000,000
$40,000,000
$50,000,000
$60,000,000
Games Film & Video Technology Design Music Publishing
$ raised by funded project
Pledge for funded project US Pledge for funded project UK Goal for funded project US Goal for funded project UK
US VS UK GENERAL
$ raised by funded projects (1/2)
14. Online Games Consulting & Services
Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GENERAL
$ raised by funded projects (2/2)
$-
$1,000,000
$2,000,000
$3,000,000
$4,000,000
$5,000,000
$6,000,000
$7,000,000
$8,000,000
Fashion Food Comics Art Theater Photography Dance
$ raised by funded project
Pledge for funded project US Pledge for funded project UK Goal for funded project US Goal for funded project UK
15. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GENERAL
Average $ raised per successful project
$-
$20,000
$40,000
$60,000
$80,000
$100,000
$120,000
$-
$20,000
$40,000
$60,000
$80,000
$100,000
$120,000
Average $ raised / successful project
Average $ / Successful Project US Average $ / Successful Project UK Goal / successful project US Goal / successful project UK
16. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GENERAL
Pledge / Backer (successful projects)
$-
$20
$40
$60
$80
$100
$120
Average pledge / backer of successful project
Average Pledge / backer successful project US
Average Pledge / backer successful project UK
17. Online Games Consulting & Services
Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GENERAL
Pledge / Goal (log scale)
$100
$1,000
$10,000
$100,000
$1,000,000
$10,000,000
$100 $1,000 $10,000 $100,000 $1,000,000 $10,000,000
Pledge / Goal - Kickstarter - 1st Half 2013
UK Pledge $ US Pledge
18. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GENERAL - Observations
• Looking at the $ raised – games is the 1st
category on the UK ecosystem.
• Looking at the # of projects funded – games is
the 5th category on the UK ecosystem.
• Compared to their US counter part, UK
projects are performing on average better in
Publishing, Music and Food. And a lot worse in
Technology, Fashion, Films and Theater.
19. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES
Comparing the US and UK ecosystem for video games
Online Games Consulting & Services
20. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES - Introduction
• Kickstarter has two sub-categories to
distinguish tabletop games from video games.
• Below, the two sub-categories are compared
to each other. Projects with no sub-category (a
minority of Games projects) are ignored.
21. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES
Number of projects
606
80
583
152
373
38
168
31
US UK US UK
Tabletop Games Video Games
# of projects
Projects Successful Projects
22. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES
% Projects successful by subcategory
62%
29%
48%
20%
US UK US UK
Tabletop Games Video Games
Success Rate
Tabletop Games US Tabletop Games UK Video Games US Video Games UK
23. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES
Total $ raised
$26,923,122.73
$1,870,907.39
$24,713,794.17
$3,244,713.46
US UK US UK
Tabletop Games Video Games
$ raised by all funded projects
24. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES
Pledge Structure (successful projects)
$-
$5,000,000.00
$10,000,000.00
$15,000,000.00
$20,000,000.00
$25,000,000.00
$30,000,000.00
US UK US UK
Tabletop Games Video Games
Pledge
US vs UK
Extra Goal
Goal
25. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES
Average Pledge Structure (successful projects)
$-
$20,000.00
$40,000.00
$60,000.00
$80,000.00
$100,000.00
$120,000.00
$140,000.00
$160,000.00
US UK US UK
Tabletop Games Video Games
Average Pledge US vs UK
Average extra goal / project
Average goal / project
26. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES
Average Pledge / Backer (Successful project)
$99.74
$115.03
$53.69
$73.51
US UK US UK
Tabletop Games Video Games
Average pledge / backer
27. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES - Observations
• At that stage, it was important to look at
specific projects. The pool of projects is small
enough that a few projects can have a great
influence on the trends.
• The following graphs were done just by
removing Elite (UK project - raised £1.5m on
Kickstarter early January 2013) – mostly to
show the weight of that one project.
28. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES (WITHOUT ELITE)
Pledge Structure
$-
$5,000,000.00
$10,000,000.00
$15,000,000.00
$20,000,000.00
$25,000,000.00
$30,000,000.00
US UK US UK UK
Tabletop Games Video Games Elite
Pledge structure
Extra Goal
Goal
29. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES (WITHOUT ELITE)
Average Pledge Structure
$-
$20,000.00
$40,000.00
$60,000.00
$80,000.00
$100,000.00
$120,000.00
$140,000.00
$160,000.00
US UK US UK
Tabletop Games Video Games
Pledge structure (Average)
Average extra goal / project
Average goal / project
30. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES (WITHOUT ELITE)
Average Pledge/ Backer (successful projects)
$99.74
$115.03
$53.69
$38.97
$98.33
US UK US UK UK
Tabletop Games Video Games Elite
Average pledge / backer for successful projects
31. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES - Observations
• The majority of projects are raising less than
$500,000. To balance the US/UK comparison
without the influence of the “heavy weights”
the following graphs compare both
ecosystems with project raising above
$500,000 excluded.
32. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES (PROJECTS UNDER 500,000 $)
Number of projects
597
80
573
151
364
38
158
30
US UK US UK
Tabletop Games Video Games
# Projects
Projects Successful Projects
33. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES (PROJECTS UNDER 500,000 $)
% Projects completed by category
61%
48%
28%
20%
US UK US UK
Tabletop Games Video Games
Success rate
34. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES (PROJECTS UNDER 500,000 $)
Total $ raised
$15,301,652.66
$1,870,907.39
$7,564,985.55
$719,407.66
US UK US UK
Tabletop Games Video Games
$ raised by all funded projects
35. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES (PROJECTS UNDER 500,000 $)
Pledge Structure
$-
$2,000,000
$4,000,000
$6,000,000
$8,000,000
$10,000,000
$12,000,000
$14,000,000
$16,000,000
$18,000,000
US UK US UK
Tabletop Games Video Games
Pledge
US vs UK
Extra Goal
Goal
36. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES (PROJECTS UNDER 500,000 $)
Average Pledge Structure
$-
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
US UK US UK
Tabletop Games Video Games
Average Pledge
US vs UK
Average extra goal / project
Average goal / project
37. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK GAMES (PROJECTS UNDER 500,000 $)
Average Pledge / Backer (Successful projects)
$70.29
$115.03
$36.36 $38.97
US UK US UK
Tabletop Games Video Games
Average pledge / backer (successful projects)
38. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK VIDEO GAMES
All video games projects
$100
$1,000
$10,000
$100,000
$1,000,000
$10,000,000
$100 $1,000 $10,000 $100,000 $1,000,000 $10,000,000
Pledge
Goal
Pledge / goal (Log scales)
UK Pledge $ US Pledge
39. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK VIDEO GAMES
US video games projects
$100
$1,000
$10,000
$100,000
$1,000,000
$10,000,000
$100 $1,000 $10,000 $100,000 $1,000,000 $10,000,000
Pledge
Goal
Pledge / goal (Log scales)
US Pledge
40. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK VIDEO GAMES
UK video games projects
$100
$1,000
$10,000
$100,000
$1,000,000
$10,000,000
$100 $1,000 $10,000 $100,000 $1,000,000 $10,000,000
Pledge
Goal
Pledge / goal (Log scales)
UK Pledge $
41. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK VIDEO GAMES
Top 10 pledged video Games Projects US and UK
US Backers Pledge Goal Type of Game Difference
Torment: Tides of Numenera 46,277 4,188,928 900,000 RPG 3,288,928
HEX MMO Trading Card Game 19,757 2,278,255 300,000 MMO 1,978,255
Camelot Unchained 121,774 2,232,933 2,000,000 MMORPG 232,933
Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues 10,559 1,919,276 1,000,000 RPG 919,276
Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey 32,445 1,538,425 850,000 Adventure 688,425
Double Fine's MASSIVE CHALICE 2,466 1,229,016 725,000 Strategy 504,016
Pathfinder Online: A Fantasy Sandbox MMO 5,082 1,091,194 1,000,000 MMORPG 91,194
Armikrog. 15,083 974,578 900,000 Adventure 74,578
Divinity: Original Sin 55,494 944,283 400,000 RPG 544,283
Stonehearth 6,644 751,921 120,000 Strategy 631,921
UK Backers UK Pledge $ UK Goal $ Type of Game Difference
Elite: Dangerous 25,681 2,525,306 2,000,000 Space trading 525,306
War for the Overworld 8,351 338,194 240,000 God Game 98,194
Death Inc. 3,874 196,339 480,000 Dungeon Keeper - 283,661
The Realm Game 3,384 151,244 312,000 Point and Click - 160,756
Spintires -- The ultimate off-road challenge! 1,847 97,496 64,000 Off Road driving 33,496
Worlds of Magic - A new classic 4X fantasy game 2,001 72,950 48,000 Strategy 24,950
Skara - The Blade Remains 130 64,059 240,000 Combat - 175,941
BMX The Game 436 46,698 88,000 Sport - 41,302
TinyKeep - AI Focused Dungeon Crawler 802 41,080 35,459 Dungeon RPG 5,621
Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet! (Retro Pirate Adventure) 1,039 32,123 24,000 Adventure 8,123
42. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK VIDEO GAMES
US projects over time – Feb2013 to Jun 2013
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
$-
$1,000,000
$2,000,000
$3,000,000
$4,000,000
$5,000,000
$6,000,000
$7,000,000
$8,000,000
$9,000,000
$10,000,000
February March April May June
US projects over time
$ pledged # of projects # of funded projects
43. Online Games Consulting & Services
US VS UK VIDEO GAMES
UK projects over time – Feb2013 to Jun 2013
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
$-
$20,000
$40,000
$60,000
$80,000
$100,000
$120,000
$140,000
$160,000
February March April May June
UK projects over time
$ pledged # of projects # of funded projects
44. Online Games Consulting & Services
Concluding thoughts
• The two ecosystems are not on equal footing.
– US is quite larger than the UK
– UK is growing at the moment
• Game category is doing better than other.
• Even considering the size of the UK market compared to the US market,
Video games have a long way to go to grow on the UK ecosystem.
Bonus: Tabletop Games are now bigger than Video games on Kickstarter!
Check-out our blog for more considerations:
http://www.icopartners.com/blog
45. Online Games Consulting & Services
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