Yes, it’s been a particularly rough start to 2024, especially for studios seeking funding. Finishing out 2023, it felt like venture capital funds closed the faucets of years’ past, and publishers hit the pause button. Thankfully, the vibe at GDC was slightly more positive, with new deals being announced by both publishers and VC funds.
While the checkbooks are back out, there is a sneaky shift that’s been occurring over the past few years: The burden of proof that an audience exists for a game is falling more and more on the shoulders of the developer.
This need for evidence, or traction, is a whole layer developers need to worry about beyond just building a great prototype and putting a strong team together. This was very much echoed in the investor update article posted on this site prior to GDC.
