crowdfunding platform Figs will go offline on Sunday, May 28, and all pages related to previously sponsored campaigns will disappear with it. That means creators are continuing to use the platform to communicate and reward backers who are currently trying to switch to alternative methods, including methods like Double Fine. and Gearbox.
Double Fine, who funded Astronaut 2 through the platform in early 2016, posted an update to their Fig page earlier this week said that it was “informed that the Fig website will be down on Sunday.” They still need to offer certain rewards to backers, including “plush toys, art books, physical editions” and say future communications about these rewards will be sent by email. They also ported all previous project updates via Double Fine page.
Gearbox Publishing posted a Similar messages regarding Homeworld 3, says communication will come via email and project updates will eventually appear. on the official Homeworld site.
Fig launched in 2015 as a crowdfunding platform dedicated to video games. It differs from Kickstarter in that, in addition to the ability to support projects, some users can also invest in projects and receive a share of potential future revenue. Several well-known industry figures have sat on Fig’s advisory board, including Tim Schafer, Brian Fargo and Cliff Bleszinski. Several games have been successfully funded through the platform in addition to Psychonauts 2 and Homeworld 3, including Outer Wilds, Wasteland 3, Kingdoms and Castles, Pillars Of Eternity 2 and Phoenix Point.
In 2020, Fig was acquired by Republic, a platform through which users can invest in “startups, cryptocurrencies, real estate, art, music, etc.” Previous Republic which announced its intention to shut down Fig, but only seems to confirm the exact date it will go offline this week. While legacy campaigns have not been migrated to the new platform, active campaigns have been migrated over and will not be affected by tomorrow’s closure.
If you try to access the old Fig.co homepage, you will be redirected to a Genres on Republic. At the time of writing, you can still find the old Fig homepage at fig.co/legacy.
