Skybound Entertainment has kicked off a crowdfunding campaign to support the development of a new videogame based on the hugely popular Invincible comic and animated TV series. This isn't a Kickstarter-style campaign, though, but an investment into Skybound itself, being run through the Republic investment platform.
«Most crowdfunded videogames are centered around indie games and retail investors rarely have the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of AAA game publishers,» the Invincible investment page says. «Skybound is developing a highly produced, high-octane blood bath that is anything but indie. Our bona fide global hit IP, Invincible, is at the center, and we've hand-picked our own team, consisting of more than 30 gaming industry veterans, to make it happen.
»We have successfully raised $18 million from everyday investors and fans via Republic/Seedrs, and we are inviting you to join us once again. What do you say? Guts, gore, and potential investor glory?"
It all seems a bit odd to me. Invincible is, as Skybound noted in the pitch, a tremendously popular property—the investment page describes it as «one of the most ubiquitous adult animated series on Prime Video starring Hollywood A-Listers Steven Yeun, JK Simmons, Sandra Oh, and countless others»—and Skybound is a well-known multimedia entertainment company. Where does the need for a crowdfunding/investment campaign come in?
Another big difference between traditional crowdfunding campaigns and this one is that you won't actually get a copy of the game out of it. The minimum investment amount is $100, which gets you a «Crowd SAFE holding» and «10,000 Skybound Insider points,» which can be used in Skybound's Insider loyalty program on things like digital comics and in-game rewards.
The Crowd SAFE holding, meanwhile, is not actually equity in the company but rather «an agreement that may provide investors with equity upon certain future events.»
«A Crowd SAFE is an investment contract between investors and
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