TIGA says Kickstarter has potential to improve access to finance for developers

By December 4, 2012 Press Releases

TIGA, the trade association representing theUK video games industry, says the number of new UK gaming projects on
Kickstarter shows that the site has the potential to improve access to finance
for games developers. It is also indicative of a flourishing creative sector.

Companies such as TIGA members Blazing
Griffin and Blitz Games Studios have been turning to the creative project
website to generate funds.

Blazing Griffin is looking for £128,000 for
its new game The Ship: Full Steam Ahead,
which is a steampunk sequel to the popular 1920s-themed game The Ship (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/709089895/the-ship-full-steam-ahead).

Blitz
Games Studios announced it was looking for £350,000 of Kickstarter cash to
produce a brand new Dizzy game called Dizzy Returns
(http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theolivertwins/dizzy-returns?ref=recently_launched).

Other
major projects include a new Elite by
Frontier Developments. A new Broken Sword
reached far in excess of its £500,000 request which enabled Revolution Software
to go further and announce a sequel to Beneath
A Steel Sky
.

More information about these
projects can be found at
http://www.kickstarter.com/pages/tiga

Dr Richard Wilson, CEO of TIGA, said:

“There is no doubt that Kickstarter
is proving to be a popular path for an increasing number of developers. At a
time when many of our members tell us they are struggling to persuade banks to
lend them money, we have an alternative method of funding, packed with
incentives for gamers, that engage them in the whole development process.
Blazing Griffin’s new game The Ship: Full
Steam Ahead
sounds terrific and Blitz’s decision to produce Dizzy Returns will delight many. We hope
that they both secure the support that they need.”

Peter van der Watt, MD of Blazing
Griffin, said:

“We’re delighted to be running a Kickstarter
in the UK for The Ship: Full Steam Ahead.
We hope that players of the original game and new players will enjoy the video and back this novel, steampunk
first person shooter murder mystery game.”

Andrew
Oliver, CTO of Blitz Games Studios, said:

“It's
been over two decades since the last brand new Dizzy game and since then not only has technology advanced
dramatically, so has the way we play games. We want to bring Dizzy bang up-to-date and introduce him
to a new generation of gamers.”

Nick Brown, TIGA board member, said:

“I’m delighted to see these two
projects launch on Kickstarter as they really do represent the creative
flowering which we’ve come to expect both from TIGA members and UK developers
more generally; incorporating new ideas and approaches whilst iterating on
well-loved classics. I would very much like
to see this as the tip of the iceberg however and a flavour of what we can
expect to come as more UK developers take advantage of what TIGA, in
collaboration with Kickstarter, can offer.”

Notes to editors:

About TIGA:

TIGA is the trade association representing the UK’s
games industry. The majority of our members are either independent games
developers or in-house publisher owned developers. We also have games
publishers, outsourcing companies, technology
businesses and universities amongst our membership. Since 2010, TIGA has won 13 business awards and has been nominated a
finalist for 16 other awards.

TIGA's vision
is to make the UK the best place in the world to do games business. We
focus on three sets of activities: political representation, generating media
coverage and developing services that enhance the competitiveness of our
members. This means that TIGA members are effectively represented in the
corridors of power, their voice is heard in the media and they receive benefits
that make a material difference to their businesses, including a reduction in
costs and improved commercial opportunities.

For
further information, please contact Dr Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO on: 07875 939
643, or email:
richard.wilson@tiga.org.

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