No Kickstarter fatigue, says Brian Fargo

Kickstarter is not declining in popularity, but developers are finding it increasingly difficult to find popular niches, says InXile Entertainment CEO Brian Fargo.

Speaking to Digital Spy, he said crowdfunding failures were down to the site doing its job – weeding out the projects that consumers don’t want.

Fargo used the example of the Mighty No. 9, which raised $3.8m, as an example of how Kickstarter campaigns can still generate excitement and money.

"I think the projects that do most well on Kickstarter are things where you’ve been denied the ability to get it somehow, or there’s a hole in the marketplace that needs to be filled with a fanbase behind it,” he said.

"Well, those holes have been filled over the past couple of years. It’s getting harder to find things where people resonate and think, ‘I really want some of those things’.

"I don’t think it’s so much it’s a Kickstarter fatigue, but if there isn’t a strong demand – if they think there’s a bunch of those out there – then I think it’s very difficult. I think that’s where some people are hitting some problems."

Fargo, who crowdfunded $2.9m for Wasteland 2 in April 2012 and $4.1m for Torment: Tides of Numenera in April 2013, said he believes those projects would still find an audience on Kickstarter today as it was still filling a gap in the market.

He added that he would still be open to using the crowdfunding website for new projects, as it provided a “great litmus test” for proof of concept.

"I’d like to know more now rather than afterwards, because I’ve got lots of ideas, because I’d rather do one that people are going to want to play the most – and they get so engaged," he said.

"When people vote with their money, they’re much more engaged.”