May TTRPG Crowdfunding Retrospective

 

For an overview of my methodology, please refer to my original November post. The only things that have been added this time around are some median metrics for various variables (campaign type, platform, AI campaign performance).

As always, the raw data are available for you to peruse at your leisure.

The big picture statistics:

• 151 campaigns
• 18 Backerkit
• 0 Crowdfundr
• 133 Kickstarter
• $7,973,999.42 raised
• $735,159.58 on Backerkit
• $0 on Crowdfundr
• $7,238,839.94 on Kickstarter
• Types of campaigns
• 18 accessories
• 34 adventures
• 1 artbook
• 8 campaign settings
• 3 reprints
• 49 supplements
• 38 systems
• 61 distinct systems used (26 original)
• 59 campaigns (39.07%) used D&D 5E and raised $4,936,605.69 (61.91% of all money raised in May)
• 34 campaigns used AI in some form (22.52% of total)
• These campaigns raised $251,400.35 (3.15% of all money raised in May)
• 22 of these were D&D 5E campaigns, accounting for 37.29% of all 5E crowdfunding campaigns

Backerkit's May

The top 5 campaigns on Backerkit in May were:

1. Scions of the Dark Goddess - A new modern era Call of Cthulhu campaign by Shadowlands Games ($259,427.26 from 2,585 backers)
2. Stewpot: Tales from a Fantasy Tavern by Evil Hat ($202,090 from 4,519 backers)
3. Knight: An Avalon RPG by Antre Monde Editions ($94,006.15 from 846 backers)
4. Valraven: The Chronicles of Blood and Iron by The World Anvil Publishing ($46,997.90 from 499 backers)
5. HEROIC the Role Playing Game by ZEG Media ($21,786.78 from 410 backers)

Kickstarter's May

The top 5 campaigns on Kickstarter in May were:

1. Adventure Time: The Roleplaying Game by Cryptozoic Entertainment ($1,631,479 from 7,681 backers)
2. The Field Guide to Floral Dragons by Hit Point Press ($1,163,164 from 13,210 backers)
3. Delve - a Guide to Dungeons for 5E & Shadowdark RPG by Bob World Builder ($387,779 from 6,588 backers)
4. Lairs & Legends 2 - The Definitive 5e Resource Anthology by The DM Lair ($298,492 from 2,055 backers)
5. Worlds at a Glance: 5E tools to describe towns, shops & NPCs by Nathan Horn ($298,105 from 3,082 backers)

Big Picture

One somewhat troubling aspect of May crowdfunding is the surprising capture of money by D&D 5E campaigns. 5E has always (unsurprisingly) been a significant moneymaker in the crowdfunding space and has had the most products using its system consistently since I started tracking these stats, but 5E campaigns have never gotten this big (61.91%) of the market share in that time.

What I find really fascinating is that the percentage of D&D 5E projects in terms of quantity doesn't change all that much, with the exception of an obvious dip in February and March that coincides with ZineQuest/ZineMonth. But even then that doesn't necessarily equate to a relative drop in percentage of money raised. In fact, the only significant drop in percentage of money raised is in January, and that's almost entirely due to the success of the MCDM RPG in that same timeframe.

I plan on putting together a larger mid-year retrospective post in July once the June data come in, but what I have currently suggest that this might be a broader cycle that is only interrupted by a post-Christmas slump in spending and the concerted efforts of ZineQuest/ZineMonth.