Those familiar with tabletop game crowdfunding might be aware of Gamefound. A self-proclaimed crowdfunding platform dedicated to board games by board gamers, it has helped aspiring board game developers and designers to get their dream projects funded and to reach dedicated audiences. It originally soft launched in 2021 as a spin-off subsidiary of board game developer Awaken Realms and has since been seen as as a modest competitor to other crowdfunding platforms on the market. Now, the platform is getting a lot more funding and resources courtesy of board game and toy company Ravensburger AG.
This announcement was made through an official Gamefound blog post. The CEO of Gamefound, Marcin Świerkot stated the following, "Crowdfunding can be an amazing tool for creating amazing Board Games and partnering with a respected industry leader like Ravensburger will help us create the best environment for backers and creators." Considering that Ravensburger AG is one of the leading brands for tabletop games throughout Europe, spanning board games (like Alien Fate of the Nostromo), puzzles, arts and crafts supplies, and even German children's books, respected is an apt description. While the amount of money invested was not disclosed in the post, it has been confirmed that Ravensburger is now both a key investor as well as a strategic partner.
As for why Ravensburger has decided to make a strategic investment in Gamefound, the reason seems to lie with their Next Ventures initiative. As the name implies, it is meant to help fund innovative or risky projects as well as start-up projects. The stated goal is "to invest in and work together with start-up teams to successfully launch new product ideas and services that fit thematically to Ravensburger business sectors." Given that the very nature of a board game crowdfunding platform is essentially a start-up of risky or innovative projects, it puts the company's latest investment in context.
This is a sentiment made more clear by an official statement by Ravensburger's Global Head of Games, Flip Francke. He said, "Ravensburger evaluates over 1,000 game ideas a year. We can ultimately publish only a handful of these games on our own, but hundreds more are concepts we know board game fans would really love. Gamefound makes it easier for all creators to produce the games of their dreams and we’re excited to support a platform that will help deliver even more game experiences to tabletop fans around the world.”
