Gaming-focused Kickstarter alternative launching at E3

Kickstarter has proven to be a huge boon for game developers, particularly since Double Fine’s success on the service, many gamers have flocked to the site and helped indie projects get underway. Indeed as a whole, the Kickstarter service’s funding is on track to triple from 2011 to 2012, being projected to raise $300 million this year.

Given Kickstarter’s success, it seems only logical that a challenger would appear – and it has, in the form of Gambitious, which is due to launch at E3 this year. Interestingly, this Kickstarter alternative will focus specifically on game development projects, while also changing the Kickstarter model.

Instead of fans donating money, albeit often for various rewards, Gambitious will allow people to invest in a game they believe in by buying actual shares in that project. If the game makes it to market and is commercially successful, these shares will pay dividends.

The service will initially be launching in Europe, but plans to go global once some legal red tape is worked out. CEO Korstiaan Zandvliet discussed the platform in a keynote speech at the Dutch Festival of Games.

“The main difference between Gambitious and the currently popular Kickstarter is that the former does not rely on donations,” said Zandvliet.

“Instead, a developer decides what percentage of the required funding people can buy. Someone who invests money in a project becomes a shareholder and is entitled to dividends.”

This can only be good news for gamers, as it gives more opportunity for community funding, and thus more opportunity for great games to be made that otherwise couldn’t. No doubt the possibility of making a “good investment” while supporting a project will have some serious appeal, and this could pose some real competition to Kickstarter. Games funding on Kickstarter however only makes up 5% of their total, compared to film at 33% and music at 21%.