BackerKit Announces New Crowdfunding Platform

BackerKit, an industry standard for crowdfunding campaign fulfillment, has announced plans to launch its own crowdfunding platform, with over 40 projects already confirmed. Earlier today, BackerKit announced Crowdfunding by BackerKit, a new platform that will allow users to build their own crowdfunding campaign that seamlessly ties into BackerKit's already existing fulfillment services. One of the first major projects launching on Crowdfunding by BackerKit is Miniatures of Gloomhaven, a project by Cephalofair Games. Cephalofair's Frosthaven game is one of the top crowdfunding campaigns of all time on Kickstarter. 

"We're building Crowdfunding by BackerKit to give creators more space and opportunity to collaborate with backers, build closer relationships, and have more successful projects," BackerKit notes on their new website.

BackerKit's plans to fully enter the crowdfunding business is notable in that they already seem to have attracted numerous major board game publishers. Tabletop games are one of Kickstarter's biggest segments, but many publishers started to look for alternatives when Kickstarter announced plans to integrate blockchain technology into its service in the future. Cephalofair specifically cited Kickstarter's decision to use blockchain as a reason for their move. 

As many publishers already use BackerKit's fulfillment services (which collects addresses from backers, allows backers to purchase additional goods, and calculates shipping costs), it seems that the platform could quickly attract some of Kickstarter's biggest users. Other publishers confirmed for BackerKit includes Monte Cook Games, Restoration Games, Leder Games, and Greater Than Games. One new game confirmed for Crowdfunding on BackerKit is a new expansion for Spirit Island, a popular strategy game involving nature spirits brutally casting out colonizers from their lands.

GameFound, a tabletop game-dedicated platform owned by the tabletop publisher Awaken Realms, launched in beta last year and received a significant investment from tabletop giant Ravensburger. However, that platform is notably geared for only tabletop games, while Crowdfunding by BackerKit seems to have no restrictions.

Crowdfunding by BackerKit is currently in beta and will have a wider launch in 2023.