This is exactly why I like going to conventions, you find out about things that otherwise would never appear on your radar otherwise. Following my announcement that I was going to GDC Online, I got oodles of meeting requests. (Oh, hey, and if you’re going and haven’t contacted me yet, be sure you do that.) Anyway, along with everyone else, CrowdStar contacted me to give me a heads up on what they’re doing at GDC Online next week, and I figured I’d pass word along– As it sounds like it could be a great opportunity for some iOS devs out there, since having a great idea for a game but potentially not the resources to execute that idea seems to be a fairly common theme in game development.
Long story short basically amounts to CrowdStar has raised millions of dollars, and in turn, wants to use that money to invest in upcoming free to play games. They’re calling it the StarFund, and from the looks of it, you can pitch them your game idea and potentially receive an investment of upwards of $250,000. As it has been explained to me, the terms of the whole deal are fairly agreeable and vary greatly depending on how completed your game is. For instance, if you approach them with little more than a design document, their percentage is going to be higher than if you’ve got a nearly-completed game that just needs a kick out the door.
You don’t really even need to be at GDC Online to be considered, all you need to do is fill out this form. If you are at GDC, and want to discuss the whole idea face to face with the CrowdStar guys, swing by booth 106 and say hi.