There’s a whole bunch of retro-game related croud funding projects being crowd-funded at the moment – here are a few of our picks. The ones nearer the top of the article are ending soonest, so act fast if you’re interested.
Bear in mind that when you contribute to a crowd-funding campaign, there is no guarantee that even if it is successfully funded, the project will complete, so please contribute at your own risk!
The 8-bit Wars is a film by Andy Remic which will take a “detailed look at the gaming explosion of the 1980s, focusing on all those wonderful games we played on so many different platforms, exploring the different hardware formats, the games, developers, magazines, musicians and publishers”
Backers will not only get access to the film, but depending on pledge, will also recieve digital versions of a multitude of previously available magazines, books and films including: Commodore: The Inside Story (David Pleasance), The History of Ocean (Chris Wilkins, Roger Kean), Fusion Magazine issues 1-6 and more.
Ends: 8th July 2020
Goal: £12,000 (funded)
Rewards include: Digital and Physical versions of the film when complete, plus digital books, films and magazines
Where: Kickstarter
An Unofficial Chronological Visual Retrospective of SCEA Published Games from 1995-2005. 151 games, 730 pages and 1000+ screenshots, by Darren Hupke.
“An 8″ x 6″ book covering 150 different games, 700+ pages, nearly 1000 screenshots, and that’s it. There are plenty of other excellent people and publishers producing quality retro gaming content with interviews, developer stories, history and more. This book isn’t that. I see this being a companion book for fans looking for more simple, nostalgic content. My goal is to let the games and your own memories tell the story. The filter and scope is that all the titles inside this book were games published by SCEA themselves. It is organized by release date, so with each page you see the progression and evolution of the technological feats and eras of the original PlayStation.”
Ends: 11 July 2020
Goal: $2,300 (Currently funded)
Rewards include: Digital and Physical versions of the book
Where: Kickstarter
Simulant are creating USB keyboards in the style of retro-computers. The keyboards are designed to recall the Amiga, Acorn, Amstrad CPC, CD32 and Sinclair.
Ends: 12 July 2020
Goal £190,000 (currently at £11,885 funded)
Rewards Include: keyboards, mice
Where: Kickstarter
Pixel Bison is an A5 sized print video game magazine which focuses on Indie games as well as AAA and retro games. Issues one and two have been self-funded, but the creators are looking at crowdfunding to help secure the future of the mag.
Ends: 16th July 2020
Goal: £5000 (£182 funded)
Rewards Include: digital and physical editions of the magazine and other goodies.
Where: Kickstarter
“Retro Format is a professionally printed, A4 sized magazine covering a wide range of retro computers and consoles of the 1970s and up to the Sega Dreamcast, Playstation 2 and original XBOX of the early 2000s. We will also cover PCs, from MS-DOS to early Microsoft Windows computers, which sadly doesn’t get much mention in current retro mags.”
Ends: 16th July 2020
Goal: €1,200 (currently €19,221 funded)
Rewards Include: digital and physical editions of the magazine and other goodies.
Where: Kickstarter
Ex-Commodore UK boss, David Pleasance and Trevor Dickinson tell the story of the Amiga after Commodore went bust in 1994.
“Starting from the day when Escom were the highest bidder at Commodore’s liquidator’s auction in New York (I was there), how their attempts to relaunch the Amiga spectacularly failed, then the troublesome years when our beloved computer bounced around from company to company, Viscorp, Quickpack, Gateway 2000, etc. and beyond.
This book leaves no stone unturned in revealing how the Commodore-Amiga assets became the target of a multiple of companies and individuals, some of whom were seemingly only interested in what they could gain out of it financially, and not even interested in supporting any of the many devotees who were trying to keep the dream alive.”
Ends: 19th July 2020
Goal: £25,000 (currently at £21,525 funded)
Rewards include: Digital and Physical versions of the book
Where: Kickstarter
A fourth instalment of the Refourmation C64 & Amiga soundtrack remake album series. A double CD of music from the retro gaming era. By Matt Gray: “Some of the tracks I’ll be remaking include Hawkeye, Shockway Rider, Times Of Lore, The Last Ninja Palace Gardens Loader and The Wilderness Loader, Yie Ar Kung Fu 2, Delta Title and Skate Or Die.”
Ends: 20th July 2020
Goal: £23,000 (currently funded)
Rewards include: digital and physical versions of the album, and extras
Where: Kickstarter
iiRcade is a bar-top machine, where you can buy officially licensed games for the machine, from a selection of over 200. The machine comes preinstalled with ten games: Dragon’s Lair, Double Dragon, Beach Buggy Racing, Gunbird, Snowboard Championship, Thunder Hoop, Maniac Square, Fancy World, Power Balls and Twin Brats.
Ends: 7th August 2020
Goal: $50,000 ($316k funded)
Rewards Include: Bartop arcade cabinet, stand- to create full-size arcade cabinet
Where: Kickstarter
Bear in mind that when you contribute to a crowd-funding campaign, there is no guarantee that even if it is successfully funded, the project will complete, so please contribute at your own risk!
The 8-Bit Wars film
The 8-bit Wars is a film by Andy Remic which will take a “detailed look at the gaming explosion of the 1980s, focusing on all those wonderful games we played on so many different platforms, exploring the different hardware formats, the games, developers, magazines, musicians and publishers”
Backers will not only get access to the film, but depending on pledge, will also recieve digital versions of a multitude of previously available magazines, books and films including: Commodore: The Inside Story (David Pleasance), The History of Ocean (Chris Wilkins, Roger Kean), Fusion Magazine issues 1-6 and more.
Ends: 8th July 2020
Goal: £12,000 (funded)
Rewards include: Digital and Physical versions of the film when complete, plus digital books, films and magazines
Where: Kickstarter
Sony’s Playstation retrospective
An Unofficial Chronological Visual Retrospective of SCEA Published Games from 1995-2005. 151 games, 730 pages and 1000+ screenshots, by Darren Hupke.
“An 8″ x 6″ book covering 150 different games, 700+ pages, nearly 1000 screenshots, and that’s it. There are plenty of other excellent people and publishers producing quality retro gaming content with interviews, developer stories, history and more. This book isn’t that. I see this being a companion book for fans looking for more simple, nostalgic content. My goal is to let the games and your own memories tell the story. The filter and scope is that all the titles inside this book were games published by SCEA themselves. It is organized by release date, so with each page you see the progression and evolution of the technological feats and eras of the original PlayStation.”
Ends: 11 July 2020
Goal: $2,300 (Currently funded)
Rewards include: Digital and Physical versions of the book
Where: Kickstarter
Retro Computer inspired USB PC Keyboards & Mice
Simulant are creating USB keyboards in the style of retro-computers. The keyboards are designed to recall the Amiga, Acorn, Amstrad CPC, CD32 and Sinclair.
Ends: 12 July 2020
Goal £190,000 (currently at £11,885 funded)
Rewards Include: keyboards, mice
Where: Kickstarter
Pixel Bison Video Gaming Magazine
Pixel Bison is an A5 sized print video game magazine which focuses on Indie games as well as AAA and retro games. Issues one and two have been self-funded, but the creators are looking at crowdfunding to help secure the future of the mag.
Ends: 16th July 2020
Goal: £5000 (£182 funded)
Rewards Include: digital and physical editions of the magazine and other goodies.
Where: Kickstarter
Retro Format Magazine
“Retro Format is a professionally printed, A4 sized magazine covering a wide range of retro computers and consoles of the 1970s and up to the Sega Dreamcast, Playstation 2 and original XBOX of the early 2000s. We will also cover PCs, from MS-DOS to early Microsoft Windows computers, which sadly doesn’t get much mention in current retro mags.”
Ends: 16th July 2020
Goal: €1,200 (currently €19,221 funded)
Rewards Include: digital and physical editions of the magazine and other goodies.
Where: Kickstarter
New book by David Pleasance: From Vultures to Vampires
Ex-Commodore UK boss, David Pleasance and Trevor Dickinson tell the story of the Amiga after Commodore went bust in 1994.
“Starting from the day when Escom were the highest bidder at Commodore’s liquidator’s auction in New York (I was there), how their attempts to relaunch the Amiga spectacularly failed, then the troublesome years when our beloved computer bounced around from company to company, Viscorp, Quickpack, Gateway 2000, etc. and beyond.
This book leaves no stone unturned in revealing how the Commodore-Amiga assets became the target of a multiple of companies and individuals, some of whom were seemingly only interested in what they could gain out of it financially, and not even interested in supporting any of the many devotees who were trying to keep the dream alive.”
Ends: 19th July 2020
Goal: £25,000 (currently at £21,525 funded)
Rewards include: Digital and Physical versions of the book
Where: Kickstarter
ReFourmation C64/Amiga Game Music Remakes
A fourth instalment of the Refourmation C64 & Amiga soundtrack remake album series. A double CD of music from the retro gaming era. By Matt Gray: “Some of the tracks I’ll be remaking include Hawkeye, Shockway Rider, Times Of Lore, The Last Ninja Palace Gardens Loader and The Wilderness Loader, Yie Ar Kung Fu 2, Delta Title and Skate Or Die.”
Ends: 20th July 2020
Goal: £23,000 (currently funded)
Rewards include: digital and physical versions of the album, and extras
Where: Kickstarter
iiRcade
iiRcade is a bar-top machine, where you can buy officially licensed games for the machine, from a selection of over 200. The machine comes preinstalled with ten games: Dragon’s Lair, Double Dragon, Beach Buggy Racing, Gunbird, Snowboard Championship, Thunder Hoop, Maniac Square, Fancy World, Power Balls and Twin Brats.
Ends: 7th August 2020
Goal: $50,000 ($316k funded)
Rewards Include: Bartop arcade cabinet, stand- to create full-size arcade cabinet
Where: Kickstarter