If it did work for companies then Newell's complaint would have no merit. Simply: publicly-traded publishers would already be funding the games that gamers wan

If it did work for companies then Newell's complaint would have no merit. Simply: publicly-traded publishers would already be funding the games that gamers want. If you want a free preview of how fan-funded game development would go, buy a few hundred shares of Acti-lizzard. The fact that this model has broken down so thoroughly in the entertainment markets -- where products not developed via market survey are the rare exception -- is precisely why Newell is complaining. What he's -actually- saying is: "wouldn't it be great if I could have free reign; like with self-funding but without assuming 100% of the risk."