With the abundance of stories revolving around game developers failing to deliver on their crowdfunding promises, crowdfunding platform Fig has decided to change that narrative by giving gamers open access.
Through the power of crowdfunding platforms like Indiegogo, Kickstarter and Patreon, smaller game companies have been able to make their dreams a reality. While that is certainly a good thing, there have been many instances where people supported a game only to have it never be released. Fig looks to change all that by making game companies give their supporters access to every version of the game they are producing throughout the development process.
With the lack of confidence in crowdfunding platforms and their ability to weed out scammers as of late, this new development is a welcome change. It lets investors know that the company is making moves to better protect them from fraud and ensure accountability from game developers. Additionally, it will allow investors to have more input in the development process and in turn build a greater trust between consumers and game developers.
According to Polygon, the new crowdfunding option will allow users to pay a set price for a specific version of the game throughout the development process. This means that rather then having the game released to the consumer only after funding and production is complete, investors will now have the option to buy the game and play it as its being developed. This will not only allow developers to collect more money than the standard crowdfunding campaign allows, but it will also help give developers more time to get the word out about their game before its completion.
This might not seem like a big deal at first, but when you consider that many small game developers end up underestimating their cost, these new measures could help ensure that they get the funding they need to complete their games. It will allow potential investors the opportunity to get a sense of what they are buying and may in turn lead to greater funding potential from those same individuals. The new system will allow developers the ability to earn money from things they have already created even before the finished product has hit store shelves. Additionally, the seemingly unlimited campaign time will allow for a greater chance of reaching more potential consumers through word of mouth.
While this new form of crowdfunding will prevent some failures due to lack on investment, it could also lead to game developers abusing the system and asking for way more money than is required. That isn’t to say that set fund campaigns aren’t plagued by the same issues, but this particular system could allow publishers to string along the development of a game on purpose in order to garner more funds than needed. In order to prevent this, Fig will need to look into requiring that developers give a breakdown of cost within their campaigns.
