I used to crowdfund a decent number of games, but now I only do so for very small number of exceptions.
It has to be something that looks really great (and affordable), or from a developer who I have previous positive experiences with.
Because more frequently than not, all you get is pissed off by the nerve some of these developers exhibit.
I have yet another example.
With this game:
The developer, who also did the game Pinstripe, crowdfunded the game for PC (with a possible release for the Switch).
The game had an expected delivery of late 2018. Yeah, I now, they never release the games on time.
Anyway, somewhere in 2019, he posted the game was pretty much done.
Then, after a period of silence, he posted that the game was delayed, for reasons he couldn't explain, but it was good news. And, at the same time he revoked the keys for backer beta's on Steam.
People were expecting the game to now be an EGS exclusive.
After some time, he said no, the game will still launch on Steam, but they were delaying the game (which was done) to release simultaneously with console ports. To which platforms? Well, he couldn't say.
After another period of silence, the game launched today... on the Apple Arcade.
You know why it isn't out on PC?
Read the below text (an excerpt of the update I'll link to), and laugh.
Spoilers: it's because the Steam version is still in certification, and these things take time, while Apple were faster, to certify an Apple Arcade version that... was never previously mentioned.
Here it goes:
«Hello beautiful backer. First, thanks for your patience and your amazing support. I'm thrilled to announce that Neversong (formerly Once Upon A Coma) is in the final stages of its port to several large platforms, including Steam and some consoles! The Steam launch is incoming! Be on the look-out for an update!
I can't disclose which console platforms we are launching on at the moment though!(Please note, backers receive Steam keys, unless you purchased the Switch add-on, which was a temporary sale event in 2018). We're in a process called "cert", which basically means you finalize various aspects of your game to ensure your game abides by the various rules of each platform. Fortunately, one platform, Apple, actually passed us already, so we launched with them today! Figured I'd let you all know so you can play on your iOS with a free trial! It's actually super fun on iOS, and it's because of you guys. I'm grateful we were able to launch on Apple, because it means your support has resulted in millions of mobile players across the world being able to share in our little adventure
As you all know, every platform is different, and sometimes devs stagger launches because of various schedules and variables associated with each platform. That said, if you'd like to play Neversong on Apple Arcade, you can play with a free trial. Thanks Apple! »
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/80348891/once-upon-a-coma-from-the-creator-of-pinstripe/posts/2825399