The way video game creators get funds for their products has experienced major transformations during the last years. Even before blockchain, crowdfunding was a thing in the gaming industry. Online services like Kickstarter have helped many gaming projects achieve their funding targets, including Pillars of Eternity, Eiyuden Chronicle, Double Fine Adventure, and Mighty No. 9, all of which raised $3+ million each.

The emergence of blockchain laid the foundation for a new gaming experience, with many video games integrating non-fungible tokens (NFTs), blockchain-powered metaverse experiences, and native tokens to reflect a community-driven approach and adopt the next iteration of the Internet.

Many of the metaverse and NFT gaming projects are seeking funds directly from the community through platforms like DAO Maker, which is currently the most popular IDO launchpad out there. It has already helped over 100 crypto projects conduct successful token sales and help founding teams raise from $95,000 to millions per project.

About a third of crypto projects on DAO Maker is related to gaming, which demonstrates the strength and momentum of this sector.

DAO Maker takes the crowdfunding experience to the next level. Previously, traditional video games raised funds from game enthusiasts and fans who simply wanted to see their favored product finished and ready to play. With DAO Maker, the contributors are not only gaming fans but crypto investors as well, as most projects on the DAO platform are selling native tokens at a discount to early buyers.

The great thing about DAO Maker is that it filters clients based on a rigorous approval process, which keeps the ecosystem safe for investors. There have been many instances when promising gaming projects managed to raise hundreds of thousands and even millions on Kickstarter and then failed to deliver the product. This is not the case on DAO Maker, which verifies each client and ensures that the team can deliver according to the established roadmap.

Crowdfunding is increasingly more popular across multiple industries, including gaming, as it enables projects to raise funds from many people worldwide rather than from a few institutional investors. Some blockchain projects raising the funds can eventually operate as decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to give their communities decision-making power.

While traditional crowdfunding has had limitations in terms of imposing rules and keeping track of the projects, blockchain is a game-changer.

Besides benefiting investors, DAO Maker’s launchpad platform is helping gaming startups jump-start their projects and get access to a growing community of crypto and gaming enthusiasts.

Gaming as Gateway to Metaverse

Gaming is getting even more attention today as it acts as a gateway to adopting the metaverse, which is the next iteration of the Internet. While metaverse will impact all industries reliant on the Internet, the gaming sector is the testing ground for all metaverse ideas, and DAO Maker has a major contribution to accelerating the adoption of this emerging trend.

Two of the most popular gaming projects that raised funds on DAO Maker, Gamium, and Victoria VR, are building metaverse worlds and plan to eventually extend their use cases beyond gaming.

Gamium, which raised $200,000, is working to make the metaverse worlds more interconnected by focusing on digital identity and decentralized social experiences. The company is offering a decentralized social metaverse platform that can be accessed with unique avatars, which are multi-metaverse compatible. Besides the avatars, most 3D assets on Gamium can also be transferred to other metaverses.

Elsewhere, Victoria VR, which raised $100,000, is developing a realistic world with graphics powered by Unreal Engine. The metaverse will host games, quests, virtual galleries, and The Big Market VR where users can exchange NFTs.

Most blockchain teams accepted by DAO Maker succeed with their projects, meeting investors’ expectations. DAO Maker is currently the launchpad of choice for many decentralized finance (DeFi) and gaming projects, helping them to reach a well-educated audience of crypto enthusiasts. On the other side, retail investors can benefit from venture capital opportunities and contribute to the rapid growth of blockchain gaming and the metaverse.