In a surprising turn of events, Indiegogo, one of the largest global crowdfunding platforms second only to Kickstarter, has been acquired by board game crowdfunding site Gamefound.
In a joint announcement, Gamefound revealed it will be integrating its technology to enhance the Indiegogo platform, offering creators and backers more powerful tools than ever before. These include over 20 payment options, a full-featured mobile app, built-in marketing tools, and more robust pledge management. Indiegogo will also adopt Gamefound’s flat 5% fee structure, putting more money in creators’ pockets.
“It’s time for crowdfunding to be a forward-facing industry again,” said Julie dePontbriand, CEO of Indiegogo in the official release. “Gamefound’s technology is unrivaled, and we’re thrilled to bring it to Indiegogo’s diverse community. Together, we’re making crowdfunding more innovative, creator-friendly, and exciting than ever before.”
The two sites will continue operating independently for now, with Gamefound remaining focused on tabletop games and Indiegogo continuing to promote tech, film, and other creative projects. In the near future, Gamefound campaigns will also be discoverable through Indiegogo, opening the door to a much broader audience.
Indiegogo is one of the original crowdfunding pioneers, having launched over 17 years ago. In that time, it has amassed 38 million members and raised more than $3 billion for projects across the globe. By combining Indiegogo’s global reach with Gamefound’s cutting-edge infrastructure, the partnership might finally give Kickstarter a run for its money.
What does this mean for the board game industry?
Overall, this acquisition is a massive win for the board game industry. Gamefound will soon be cross-promoting its tabletop campaigns through Indiegogo, allowing creators to get in front of millions of new customers.
With fewer fees and more native tools to help promote projects, creators may finally start shifting away from Kickstarter for new campaigns. Since Gamefound doesn’t have a paid promotion feature like Kickstarter Boost, it levels the playing field for smaller creators, too.
Large publishers are already favoring Gamefound, with six of the ten largest board game projects in 2024 successfully funded there, including the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 board game that reached its goal in ten minutes.
Matthew Adler has written for IGN since 2019 covering all things gaming, tech, tabletop games, and more. You can follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.
