Why Do Zombies Rule Kickstarter?

Why do Zombies rule Kickstarter.com?

It is an honest question.

If you came here looking for the answer, I must disappoint you. Yet, as anyone who spends time on the site will quickly find, Kickstarter.com is overrun by Zombies. They are everywhere!

Clearly, the attraction of using Zombies for a Kickstarter project goes far beyond miniatures and board games. Some examples!

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#1 – Deadzone by Mantic Games

I have been promoting Mantic’s Deadzone Contagion a bit. When the Kickstarter was first announced, I predicted it would share into the massive success of Zombicide 2 – so far the highest grossing Tabletop Game Kickstarter of all times.

That may have been too optimistic, partly (I suspect) because Mantic’s happy, candy-coloured aesthetics works better for games like DreadBall than for a game about undead horrors in space. Even if Deadzone doesn’t reach the dizzy Zombicide heights, it will still be Mantic’s highest grossing Kickstarter.

The flood of Zombie-based miniature and board-game Kickstarters is unlikely to recede.

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#2 – Z. Year One – The Collectible Card Game

Z. Year One is a collectible Card Game based around Zombies. One of several currently on Kickstarter. It’s tagline is “Magic: The Gathering meets The Walking Dead“. To the point!

It’s funded and going strong.

That said, the Kickstarter video for this one is pretty fun, with everyone dressing up as Zombies. “Z.” stands out for not taking itself overtly serious.

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#3 – Zombabe Pin Up Calendar by Deadly Darling

Zombie Pin Ups? It sounds like the ultimate oxymoron. Pin Ups, after all, are supposed to be sexy, and Zombies rarely are. The combination seems to work very for the Make-Up Effect guys from Deadly Darling, who are currently on Kickstarter to fund their Zombabe Pin Up Calendar.

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#4 – Shogun Rising – The Graphic Novel

There are lots of card games with Zombies on Kickstarter. There are arguably even more graphic novels with Zombies on Kickstarter.

Shogun Rising is a more promising one in the mix, featuring lots of well-known artists from the RPG and Trading Card industry, Samurai, a tragic love story and, of course, Zombies!

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What’s the big appeal of Zombies?

What is the big appeal of Zombies?

I suspect that part of the answer lies in the fact that Zombies can be combined with just about everything: Magic the Gathering, Samurai, Pin-Ups, Space Marines… just add Zombies and go! Slash fiction such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies probably set a strong precedent.

And yet, this isn’t a very satisfying answer at all. It doesn’t really explain why adding Zombies to the mix works. Why do people think added Zombies are a cool idea?

Why do you think Zombies are so popular (on Kickstarter in particular)?

Help me out!

Z. (alive and breathing)