Confirming demand before spending time/money on development is a smart move, most video games don't break even. The benefit to the consumer is they get to supp

Confirming demand before spending time/money on development is a smart move, most video games don't break even. The benefit to the consumer is they get to support a game that otherwise might not have been made if they choose to. They get a copy of the game they want. Benefit to company decreased risk they will make game and no-one will buy + the cash flow + can bypass publishers. Win/Win.