Online crowdfunding opened up a huge can of worms in the indie gaming community. Now indie developers can potentially skip the difficult journey of finding a publisher and obtain funding directly from people that are completely sold on the game’s concept or idea. Gamers know how much freedom indie developers have when it comes to execution so you can’t blame them for having high expectations on a particular game that is seeking funds through a crowdsourcing platform. But just because you see hundreds of backers doesn’t mean that you should jump on the bandwagon too. Get acquainted with the developer first.
Who is the team leader behind the project? Ideally, the person should be an experienced game developer who has some experience from an older studio. Tim Schafer of Double Fine Productions had no trouble in funding an adventure game called Broken Age and it turned out to be pretty good too despite the speed bumps it hit. Tim Schafer was the developer behind classic titles including Grim Fandango and Psychonauts so the backers trusted the guy and wanted to see the point-and-click game genre resurrected. Although all types of projects have their risks, backing a renowned developer is so much better than backing someone who has never made or designed a game before. Check the developer’s blog or his/her studio website before shelling out any money.
There are indie developers that are capable of designing all aspects of the game from the core programming to the graphics and music. But depending on the type of game, it can take a really long time for even a talented individual to accomplish all these things. Look at the planned launch date and see if it will take years to do. A game that will be released later probably won’t fly anyway because you have backers to please. But if the release window is within months, you should find more information on the people working for the developer. The people that will deal with the graphics, music and other parts of the game should be publicized too so you get that sense of security that the game will be finished on or before the target date. You should also research those individuals too to see how experienced they are.
Check out the crowdfunding game tag for more useful tips in crowdfunding a game.