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Fig, the equity investment platform for games, was down more than 28 percent in 2017. The platform raised only $5.6 million, after raising more than $7.8 million in 2016.
Fig blends equity investment with traditional rewards-based crowdfunding. That means anyone can choose to invest in any of the games on the platform regardless of their net worth. Or, they can instead choose to pledge a fixed amount and receive games and other incentives for their money.
Fig’s 2017 totals
| Title | Developer | Date | Total funds raised | Equity investment | Backer dollars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Developer | Date | Total funds raised | Equity investment | Backer dollars |
| Kingdoms and Castles | Lion Shield | 1/5/2017 | $108,767 | $83,000 | $25,000 |
| Little Bug | Buddy System | 2/9/2017 | $35,317 | $28,000 | $7,000 |
| Solo | Team Gotham | 2/23/2017 | $68,735 | $50,000 | $18,000 |
| Pillars of Eterinity II | Obsidian Entertainment | 2/24/2017 | $4,407,598 | $2,250,000 | $2,150,000 |
| Solstice Chronicles: MIA | Ironward | 3/23/2017 | $30,900 | $16,000 | $14,000 |
| Phoenix Point | Snapshot Games | 6/7/2017 | $765,948 | $320,000 | $445,000 |
| Flash Point: Fire Rescue | RetroEpic Software | 6/28/2017 | $38,354 | $15,000 | $23,000 |
| KnightOut | 2nd Studio | 7/27/2017 | $30,713 | $25,000 | $5,000 |
| Bounty Battle | Dark Screen Games | 8/22/2017 | $39,575 | $26,000 | $13,000 |
| Virgo vs The Zodiac | Moonana | 9/28/2017 | $36,366 | $22,000 | $14,000 |
| Crazy Justice | Black Riddle Studios | 10/18/2017 | $51,288 | $32,000 | $19,000 |
| Totals: | $5,613,561 | $2,867,000 | $2,733,000 |
The most notable success of 2017 was Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire. The sequel to Obsidian Entertainment’s isometric role-playing game, Pillars of Eternity, raised more than $4.4 million, accounting for more than half of the total for the entire platform.
Phoenix Point, the turn-based tactical strategy game by the co-creator of the original X-COM: UFO Defense, was a distant second with more than $765,000 raised. Only one other campaign eclipsed the $100,000 mark, and only two others earned more than $50,000.
Fig successfully funded 11 projects in 2017, up from six in 2016.
Just like Kickstarter, campaigns that do not reach their goal do not collect the money pledged to them. That includes equity investment. One notable failure was Hidetaka “Swery” Suehiro’s The Good Life, which missed its target of $1.5 million. Swery told Polygon that work on the game would continue regardless, and that a Kickstarter campaign would be spun up at a later date.
