

I would argue that a platform mascot has to stay exclusive (or near-exclusive to allow for some weird spinoffs). This would trim down your list significantly: no Doomguy, no Gordon, no Geralt…
In fact none of the big ones would make the cut. Maybe Jill of the Jungle (and Jazz Jackrabbit ?), but they do not have many games to their names. Note even the Elite iconic Cobra ship would fit the bill, as Elite Dangerous was released on consoles.
The kickstarter funds being portrayed as enough to fund the game is the scammy part. It is now revealed that it was in fact seed money to convince investors.
It should have been obvious from the start as 100K or 300K is nowhere near “making a high-profile videogame money”.