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Video games crowdfunding raised $25m in 2017

ICO Partners estimates show only three projects raised more than $1m last year

Crowdfunding projects for new video games generated around $25m for developers over the course of 2017.

That's according to estimates by ICO Partners given to PCGamesInsider.biz. The total figure shows video games crowdfunding has declined by less than two per cent when compared to 2016, despite the growing perception that interest in such projects is deteriorating.

Kickstarter still accounts for the majority of funds raised, having generated $17m last year. Back in August, ICO reported that the number of projects were down but funding on the platform seemed stable - although nowhere near the levels seen in 2015, driven by the likes of Yooka-Laylee and Shenmue 3.

Bidaux provided the site with an updated total for 2017: there were 350 games successfully funded, 9% less than in 2016.

Meanwhile, equity investment crowdfunding platform Fig only raised $5.6m in 2017, a 28% drop from the previous year. This leaves Indiegogo and other platforms generating the last $2.4m generated over the past 12 months.

However, Kickstarter was only host to one of the three most successful projects last year. ICO's Thomas Bidaux told PCGamesInsider that Ashes of Creation was the sole title to raise more than $1m in 2017.

There were only two other projects that achieved this level of fundraising: Pillars of Eternity 2 via Fig, and Noob The Video Game on Ulule. The latter was also the first video game to raise more than $500,000 on its platform.

Nevertheless, the money video games are able to generate via crowdfunding continues to pale in comparison to that of board games. On Kickstarter alone, tabletop projects raised $136m in 2017.