Game Financing (Addendum)
I forgot one important additional financing source for future PC games: us.The first time I saw the concept of micro-financing used was with Shaun Sullivan's fine series PureSim Baseball (www.puresim.com). At one time, Shaun offered an option for people to purchase the game on a calendar basis, not a version basis. In other words, you were subscribing to a game, not a version. I thought it was a brilliant idea--micro-financing in exchange for allowing your subscribers to participate more fully in the development process (by seeing interim development versions and offering feedback).
Both Mount & Blade and Fate use this micro-financing approach. You're buying a work in progress, and in exchange for your purchase, you're entitled to all future version. Developers who finance their games in this manner generally have a much closer relationship to their customers and are far more likely to incorporate their suggestions into the game.
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