Beyond Funding, Part 2: Genre-Based Ex-Post Analysis of Successful Video Game Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding has become a viable alternative financing mechanism for entrepreneurial ventures, with the video game industry representing a field of application. Despite its growing relevance, scholarly work on video game crowdfunding, particularly on post-funding outcomes and genre-specific dynamics, remains limited. This study contributes to this gap by providing a descriptive ex-post genre analysis of 298 successfully funded Kickstarter video game campaigns launched between September 2009 and October 2023 that were subsequently released on the major distribution platform Steam. The results reveal a strong concentration in a small number of genres (Adventure, Indie, Action, RPG, Strategy, and Simulation), which together account for 92.28% of all campaigns. Beyond genre distribution, the study examines funding goals, pledged amounts, funding ratios, numbers of backers, campaign durations, development times, Steam ratings, review counts, team structures, and temporal patterns of campaign activity across genres. The findings suggest that some characteristics align with overall crowdfunding dynamics, whereas others show distinct genre-specific variations. Practical implications arise for both backers and entrepreneurs, underscoring the importance of considering not only general crowdfunding dynamics but also genre-specific factors when designing or evaluating campaigns. Nonetheless, the study acknowledges its methodological limitations and emphasizes the need for further research to validate these findings and develop a more nuanced understanding of genre effects in crowdfunding.