– Transaction value in the gaming category surged 12-fold from July to October, with the number of transactions more than doubling
– Board games account for 89% of the market… Fandom-driven consumption on the rise
– Projects featuring high-value limited editions and funding in the hundreds of millions, such as “Aegemonia” and “Cyberpunk 2077,” are proving popular
Wadizannounced on the 24th that its gaming category saw explosive growth in the second half of this year (July–October), with transaction volume surging approximately 12-fold (1,089%) compared to the same period last year.
The growth of crowdfunding in the gaming sector was particularly notable, with transaction value increasing by 307% and the number of transactions rising by more than 102% year-to-date (as of October 20). In particular, board games drove this growth, accounting for 89% of the total transaction value in the gaming category.
The number of people who signed up for notifications about board game projects this year (17,667) has already surpassed last year’s total for the entire game category (17,470). This demonstrates the rapid growth of a fan base eager to discover and collect board games with unique and rare value through crowdfunding.
Wadizhas concluded that board games are among the types of content best suited for crowdfunding. This is because they have a highly engaged fan base, and accurately predicting demand in advance is key to the project’s success.
Through crowdfunding, publishers can gauge actual demand in advance to formulate production and distribution strategies, while backers are among the first to experience titles with high collectible value, such as limited editions or Korean-language versions. This structure is accelerating the growth of board game crowdfunding.
In fact, half of the top 10 projects in the gaming sector this year were board games, and the top two projects both raised over 100 million won.
The Korean edition of the cooperative adventure board game *Aegemonia*, which launched on the 17th, garnered an explosive response, surpassing 500 million won in sales within just one day of its release. With a global board game rating (BCG) of 9.0, this high-quality board game combines storytelling with cooperative play. Despite its high price range of 300,000 to 500,000 won, most of the available stock has already sold out. The project will run until the 31st.
Earlier in August, the Korean-language board game based on the globally popular IP *Cyberpunk 2077* was released exclusively and successfully raised a total of 330 million won in funding. The strategy of targeting the IP’s fanbase by adding a crowdfunding-exclusive edition proved highly effective.
A Wadiz representative stated,Wadizhas a strong base of ‘premium consumers’ who actively participate in high-priced reward tiers, encompassing not only existing board game fans but also potential users exploring new interests.” They added, “With high average transaction amounts and a string of successful funding campaigns exceeding 100 million won, Wadiz is establishing itself as a ‘premium launch platform’ within the board game market.”
Meanwhile, Wadizplans to launch a series of major new board game projects in the second half of the year, and with a variety of projects poised to continue the board game boom, the platform is generating significant anticipation among fans. In late November, Wadizis set to debut the Korean version of the “Final Girl” board game, which has raised a cumulative total of 6.5 billion won in global crowdfunding.
