Psychonauts 2 has been a success.
Psychonauts 2 will be the 3rd game by Double Fine to go through a crowdfunding process, the first two being Broken Age and Massive Chalice. As a comparison, Broken Age, then known as Double Fine Adventure, raised $3.3 million with 87,142 backers, while Massive Chalice gained $1.2 million with 31,774 backers.
In terms of numbers, Psychonauts 2 had the most money pledged to it, with the least amount of backers. This may be attributed to recent controversies regarding Double Fine CEO, Tim Schafer, regarding claims of misuse of money and ceasing development on an early access project, Spacebase DF-9. Schafer has also induced the wrath of the #GamerGate movement for poorly crafted jokes at last years GDC awards. It is also possible that Fig itself being a new platform lead to less exposure, despite higher amounts spent per backer.
Fig is a new crowdfunding source that will attempt to turn gamers into investors; provided the product they have invested in is successful. Psychonauts 2 is one of the first projects selected to Fig, which include Schafer on their advisory board. Other known developers on the Fig advisory board include CEO's Brian Fargo, Alex Rigopulos, and Feargus Urquhart. In theory, Fig would benefit investors who register and back the game through revenue, although the risks involved are heavy. TechRaptor's Don Parsons has made an extensive breakdown regarding the facts about Fig, which can be seen here.
The next step for Double Fine and FIG would be the registration of FIG Grasslands with the SEC. Currently, the project falls under a Regulation A investment for non-accredited investors that reserved shares, based on new regulations finalized in July of 2015. All investors now, both accredited and nonaccredited, will receive Tracking Stock in FIG, which is tied to the FIG Grasslands division and will be reliant on the performance of Psychonauts 2.
Overall, Psychonauts 2 has been a success for Double Fine, with Schafer already discussing about Psychonauts 2 on reddit, along with other topics including past games and the development process.
Quick Take
Personally, I don't mind that Psychonauts 2 was successful, mainly because I am curious to see what happens with Fig in the future as I think the investor model they have set up is an interesting idea, even if it is essentially a complex investment that is set up here. Not to mention the people who did invest in Psychonauts 2 will now be actively involved in the process to protect their investment further.
The bad blood out there for Schafer may prevent it from reaching its full potential though. Only time will tell if that is the case in the end. What do you think though? Leave your comments below.
