Can we fix game funding?

Game funding is hard, funding new and exciting indie games is harder - especially if they fall outside the mold.

Funding an indie game to release is as hard now, if not harder, as it has even been. Even with tight budgeting controls, defined scope, and a "ramen" life-style indie devs struggle to find the funds to reach the finish line.

Kickstarter and the rise of the indie publisher have provided some relief. Devolver Digital, Raw Fury, and other indie publishers have helped a number of exciting titles to release & succeed. Games like Undertale, Hollownight, and numerous other titles have found massive success out of Kickstarter campaigns.

Outside of the smash success stories, even developers with successful release(s) soon find that the relief front the funding struggle is short lived. A successful release means runway to start a next title, and then scramble for funding again - and nailing that next title is essential, there is no room to falter or explore multiple concepts and loops.

We want to change these indie funding dynamics.

Instead of running a YouTube channel to get Patreons to contribute in exchange for sneak peaks and insider posts on the game… that now takes a back seat to the YouTube channel that was supposed to support the game; supporters are engaged from project conception with initial prototypes, game play mechanics, and release copies, bonuses, etc.

Instead of Kickstarting a game, hoping the funding covers every possible delay, issue, and unforeseen complication, players are supporting the studio allowing rapid iteration, early and immediate feedback, and when something doesn't work out a return to the drawing board to do it better.

This gives developers the freedom to strive for what the best version of their project to be, the cushion to fail and start again, and a community to support them. And it gives supporters an inside connection to the studio, the games being made, and a hand in the creation of something. This emotional connection can help games succeed in a new way, and greater engagement exposes players and supporters to the real cost, effort, and struggle of making a game.

This is what crtrdg is; a platform fostering community powered game development. It's a little bit Kickstarter, a little bit Patreon, and a little bit new. It's crtrdg, and because it's new we're going to use it first, ourselves. check it out right here on crtrdg.

Every supporter will immediately get their own copy of

• Skipper
• vThree
• Titan Ops

And preview builds of

• Skipper 2
• Putt in Parks

Along with a copy of every new game when it releases.

Also

• Private discord access
• In-game credits for every new title release
• Misc prototype access whenever created

And finally project archive access

We have a lot of old releases, abandoned ideas, and so on, and the source for these is included (excluding 3rd party licensed content).