Square Enix, the company behind the Final Fantasy series, has just announced a new crowdfunding platform called Collective.
The system comes courtesy of a newly found partnership between Indiegogo and the video game publishing company. The programs intent is to develop a system through which independent creators can publish ideas and fans will have the opportunity to decide if those ideas should come to fruition. It’s essentially Indiegogo but with a specific focus on gaming.
In the past, independent video game creators have had luck looking for funds and support through such crowdfunding platforms as Kickstarter and the aforementioned Indiegogo. However, this new program won’t be quite as cut and dry as its predecessors. Before games can be opened to a “dedicated, core gaming community,” the idea has to be processed through a strict and comprehensive evaluation phase by Square Enix. If an idea passes this phase than the project will be eligible for funding via the actual Indiegogo site.
It may seem like a backwards and complicated system, but the benefit of such vetting will be that the best products and ideas are granted the opportunity to be supported and announced by Square Enix. This means that great games that wouldn’t otherwise be noticed may find a larger fan base and therefore potential success. Sounds like a great opportunity to us!