adminThe Gamevestor crowdfunding platform is designed to connect video game studios seeking finance with players who want to support upcoming projects. Founded by industry veterans Ivan Marchand and Arthur Van Clap Ceulen, the France-based service focuses exclusively on games and offers both reward-based backing and a royalty-based investment option. The founders have also secured €1 million to develop the platform and support its launch.
Why Gamevestor is focused on game funding
Marchand and Van Clap Ceulen began exploring the idea after trying to establish a game studio in 2023. Their experience pitching to publishers and investors highlighted how much harder it had become for smaller developers to secure money. While studios had found funding more readily in earlier years, publishers and investors were increasingly cautious after the market changes that followed COVID.
The founders saw an opportunity for a funding model between traditional investment and basic crowdfunding. Gamevestor is intended for developers seeking between €100,000 and €5 million. Studios can offer supporters a copy of the finished game, or allow eligible backers to invest at least €100 in exchange for a share of the game’s revenue.
Image credit: Arthur Van Clap Ceulen and Ivan Marchand, Gamevestor
How the Gamevestor crowdfunding platform works
Campaigns run for 45 days and can include multiple funding objectives. Once a project passes its first objective, the campaign is considered successful. A group of angel investors may also commit funds during the ten days before a campaign opens, helping build early momentum.
Funding is released to developers in stages rather than as one lump sum. For example, a studio might receive one-third after a successful campaign, another third six months later when it releases a demo, and the final portion when the game reaches Early Access. This approach is intended to connect payments to development milestones and give investors more visibility into how a project progresses.
Practical tip for potential backers: read each campaign’s terms carefully, including its milestones, revenue-sharing arrangement, and what happens if plans change. Investing in a game project involves risk, and projected revenue is not a guarantee of a return.
Void Reaver is one of the projects on Gamevestor. Image credit: Banana Blitz/Entalto Publishing
Curated projects and studio support
Gamevestor says it will feature a limited selection of projects, reviewed by a team of experts. The company also plans to provide marketing support to help studios reach potential players and investors. According to the founders, more than 200 developers had contacted the platform, although only a small number of projects were expected to be available at launch.
The €1 million funding round is intended to cover the cost of building the service and obtaining the regulatory authorisation required to offer investment products. It also provides the company with up to two years of operating runway. Gamevestor says its fees are in line with Kickstarter and similar services, while its more hands-on support means its operating costs are higher. The company expects its finances to become more balanced if funded games later generate revenue and share it with investors.
Can crowdfunding help close the funding gap?
Rewards-based crowdfunding has helped bring many games to market, but production costs have risen, and a campaign may not provide enough money to complete a larger project. Gamevestor’s founders see a potential role for investment crowdfunding, particularly for mid-sized games that can be difficult to finance through conventional routes.
Player participation may also offer studios an early indication of audience interest. A successful campaign could give publishers additional evidence that a project has an engaged community, and Gamevestor says it is already speaking with publishers about possible collaborations. Any publisher involvement or future funding, however, depends on the individual project and is not assured.
Black One Blood Brothers is another game raising money through Gamevestor. Image credit: Helios Studio
What comes next for Gamevestor?
The platform’s website was scheduled to launch ahead of a rollout in early February, with three projects planned at the outset and two more in development. The company said it hoped to open a new campaign every other week. Longer term, the founders want to make Gamevestor a leading funding option for mid-tier studios and eventually host projects connected to well-known intellectual property.
The Gamevestor crowdfunding platform offers developers another possible route to capital by combining community support with revenue-sharing investment. For studios, the staged funding and marketing assistance may be useful features; for players, it is important to understand the risks and terms before backing or investing in a project.
