With other forms of fundraising increasingly feeling increasingly closed off to gaming and nerd culture, creators and companies across the space are embracing crowdfunding in 2026.
Although game makers have tapped into crowdfunding platforms for years, they have stepped up their crowdfunding activity over the past year, with creators and communities moving beyond simple fundraising to use crowdfunding to revive dormant properties and generate hype around their upcoming releases. In 2026, the creators behind projects like Sacred: Last Pixel of Ancaria, Axis Saga, Neon Odyssey and “The Guild” are on the cusp of launching crowdfunding efforts, reflecting an ongoing shift in how creators and communities are tapping into platforms like Kickstarter and BackerKit to bring their creative visions to life.
“We’ve built Axis Saga and Wyldwolf Games locally and organically in Minnesota,” said Wyldwolf Games chief executive officer Chase McAllister, the creator of Axis Saga, in an interview with GamesBeat. “It’s self-funded, and we are very proud of the product we made, and now we want to amplify it — and crowdfunding seems like a great way to do so.”
For some creators in the gaming and nerd space, crowdfunding has become an increasingly appealing way to get creative projects off the ground amid a general slowdown in investment in new IP from corporate backers and investors. Writer, producer and actress Felicia Day told GamesBeat that she was pursuing a crowdfunding approach for the upcoming revival of her web series “The Guild” in order to maintain more creative control over the final product.
“It was never my idea at all to go to traditional studios, because, quite frankly, they would want me to change it in ways that I know I wouldn’t like, and I know the fans wouldn’t like,” she said.
Crowdfunding also has the advantage of tying fans more closely to a creative project, making them feel involved in its production and creating a legion of super-fans who are locked and loaded to play a game on day one.
“Getting the one dollar down gets a little skin in the game. It encourages people to come back, and allows us to create that sense of exclusivity,” said Mikey Gilder, the chief creative officer at Neon Odyssey maker Legends of Avantris, in an interview with GamesBeat. “It allows us to get them into our Discord server, where many of the VIPs are hanging out and chatting. We’ve found that it’s been a great way to drive that hype.”
Indeed, even for games that aren’t relying on fundraising to get made, a crowdfunding campaign can still be tremendously helpful for marketing purposes. The creators of Sacred: Last Pixel of Ancaria at SparklingBit don’t need crowdfunding to be able to afford the development of their game — but they’re heavily leaning into a Kickstarter to spread the word about the upcoming revival of the Sacred series.
“It really is an opportunity to talk to fans and build new ones,” said Enduring Games Adam Creighton, the founder and studio head of Enduring Games, a co-development studio working on and investing in the development of Sacred: Last Pixel of Ancaria, in an interview with GamesBeat.
Game makers believe there is a natural connection between nerd culture and crowdfunding, with many gamers perusing crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter to find something new to play. This activity is a key reason why Titmouse, Inc., an animation studio that pioneered the crowdfunding model for projects like the “Legend of Vox Machina” animated series, has leaned into crowdfunding over the years, including for recent projects like the Drunkards, Druggies and Delinquents tabletop game.
“It’s just logical that you find out about new stuff from crowdfunding, because that’s when it’s being announced,” said Titmouse founder and president Chris Prynoski in an interview with GamesBeat. “So, when I speak for myself as a nerd, I’m certainly doing that, and I assume that that’s what everybody else is doing, too. It’s certainly reflected in the Kickstarters that we do.”