In recent years, the trend of game development by using
crowdfunding project is quite high. If you visit popular crowdfunding sites
like Kickstarter or Indiegogo, you could see a lot of game projects offered
there, even a popular franchise such as Shenmue also participate in Kickstarter
to raise funds for the second sequel.
Responding to this trend, a new crowdfunding site comes to
accommodate the independent game developers. This site is called Fig which's
founded by Justin Bailey, the former COO of Double Fine Productions that's
famous for its Psychonauts game.
Fig brings a different system than the fundraising system in
Kickstarter or Indiegogo. Each month there is only one game that will lead the
fundraising campaign. The game is selected directly by the advisory team that
has been formed by Fig, which involves a number of famous figures in the gaming
industry, including Tim Schafer (originator of Grim Fandango), Feargus Urquhart
(designer of Fallout 2 and Baldur's Gate) and Brian Fargo (designer of
Wasteland).
After a campaign ends and successfully reaches the target,
the developer will still be guided by the advisory team to perfect the game
until it's ready to be released. At the same time, those famous figures have
also planned to make the Fig as a place to raise the funds for developing the
games that are made by their own studios.
In addition to be led by experienced advisory team, Fig also
brings a unique feature that can’t be found on Kickstarter or Indiegogo.
Besides being a backer, the user can also be an investor of a developer. In
other words, user not only contributes to the birth of an exciting game, but
also earns a profit percentage from the game sales, or in other words
profit-sharing.
Fig now has officially operated; the first game that's
undergoing a campaign is Outer Wilds of Mobius Digital, which takes adventure
theme in the open-world setting.