Online game crowdfunding platform Fig, which helped to fund the event of video games like Psychonauts 2 and Homeworld 3, is not on-line.
As reported by RPS, the information was shared by Double Wonderful and Blackbird Interactive, who issued updates shortly earlier than the web site’s shutdown. “We have been knowledgeable that the Fig web site goes to be introduced offline on Sunday, Could twenty eighth,” wrote Double Wonderful’s neighborhood supervisor Harper Jay on the Psychonauts 2 Fig web page, including “which means we’ll should shift our communications to a unique hub.” Likewise, Homeworld 3’s writer Gearbox printed an identical submit on its official web site, stating “We’re dedicated to persevering with to give you constant updates and visibility into Homeworld 3 via various channels.”
It seems each studios got little warning about Fig’s imminent shutdown. Jay notes of their replace that the revelation was “a little bit of a shock to us too!” whereas Gearbox’s submit states that the corporate “acknowledge[s] that this information is sudden”. Concerning excellent backer rewards, each studios reassured Fig backers that they might be contacted about these by electronic mail.
Initially launched in 2015, Fig’s prominence as a crowdfunding platform rose alongside the announcement of Psychonauts 2. It was chosen because the platform for the sport’s crowdfunding marketing campaign in favour of Kickstarter, which developer Double Wonderful used for its earlier recreation Damaged Age. In contrast to Kickstarter, Fig allowed some customers to put money into tasks and obtain a share of future income. Double Wonderful’s CEO Tim Schafer was additionally on the Fig board, alongside different notable recreation builders equivalent to Brian Fargo and Cliff Bleszinski.
It was an concept that bore some fruit. The primary recreation printed on Fig, Kingdoms and Castles, rapidly made 1,000,000 {dollars} in gross sales and doubled the return for its buyers. Different notable video games to make use of Fig included Wasteland 3, Outer Wilds, Pillars of Eternity 2, and Phoenix Level. Bigger occasions affected a few of Fig’s extra excessive profile tasks, nevertheless. Double Wonderful’s acquisition by Microsoft modified the payout to buyers from being contingent on recreation gross sales to a hard and fast cost. This was greater than the preliminary promised payout, however was additionally a one-time affair. In 2021, Gearbox introduced that it would not be gathering reserved investments, because of the firm’s acquisition by Embracer Group.
Fig itself was acquired by Republic in 2020. Based on the platform’s web site Republic “curates personal investing alternatives with high-growth potential throughout startups, gaming, actual property, and crypto”. It is price noting Republic had beforehand introduced the Fig web site can be closing, though no date had been specified. Ongoing campaigns can even not be affected by the shutdown of Fig, and have already been moved to Republic’s personal funding system.