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[RiverBed]

I've only heard of it with the Double Fine announcement. Checked it at the time and couldn't find any other games hosted. I just checked now and found there are only three games.

The URL is registered since 2010, so I don't know if it was hibranating or if it was used for something else. Is the site/company owned by Double Fine? Did DF say why the chose it? Does anyone know anything about it?
It's just weird how it's all so sudden with such a big event reveal.
Here is the Whois:

Domain Name: FIG.CO
Domain ID: D1131229-CO
Sponsoring Registrar: NAMECHEAP, INC.
Sponsoring Registrar IANA ID: 1068
Registrar URL (registration services): http://www.namecheap.com
Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited
Registrant ID: 5EKRYQREOIXDMZ0J
Registrant Name: Freeman White
Registrant Organization: Fig
Registrant Address1: 715 Bryant Street
Registrant Address2: Suite 202
Registrant City: San Francisco
Registrant State/Province: CA
Registrant Postal Code: 94107
Registrant Country: United States
Registrant Country Code: US
Registrant Phone Number: +1.4156895606
Registrant Email: help@fig.co
Administrative Contact ID: X1RCULASQ5ZATOI2
Administrative Contact Name: Freeman White
Administrative Contact Organization: Fig
Administrative Contact Address1: 715 Bryant Street
Administrative Contact Address2: Suite 202
Administrative Contact City: San Francisco
Administrative Contact State/Province: CA
Administrative Contact Postal Code: 94107
Administrative Contact Country: United States
Administrative Contact Country Code: US
Administrative Contact Phone Number: +1.4156895606
Administrative Contact Email: help@fig.co
Billing Contact ID: FCOPHC50SW3OHUT2
Billing Contact Name: Freeman White
Billing Contact Organization: Fig
Billing Contact Address1: 715 Bryant Street
Billing Contact Address2: Suite 202
Billing Contact City: San Francisco
Billing Contact State/Province: CA
Billing Contact Postal Code: 94107
Billing Contact Country: United States
Billing Contact Country Code: US
Billing Contact Phone Number: +1.4156895606
Billing Contact Email: help@fig.co
Technical Contact ID: VINR5TSPQ35D0HQV
Technical Contact Name: Freeman White
Technical Contact Organization: Fig
Technical Contact Address1: 715 Bryant Street
Technical Contact Address2: Suite 202
Technical Contact City: San Francisco
Technical Contact State/Province: CA
Technical Contact Postal Code: 94107
Technical Contact Country: United States
Technical Contact Country Code: US
Technical Contact Phone Number: +1.4156895606
Technical Contact Email: help@fig.co
Name Server: NS-534.AWSDNS-02.NET
Name Server: NS-175.AWSDNS-21.COM
Name Server: NS-1295.AWSDNS-33.ORG
Name Server: NS-2010.AWSDNS-59.CO.UK
Created by Registrar: GODADDY.COM, INC.
Last Updated by Registrar: NAMECHEAP, INC.
Last Transferred Date: Tue May 26 07:23:15 GMT 2015
Domain Registration Date: Tue Jul 20 18:00:02 GMT 2010
Domain Expiration Date: Wed Jul 19 23:59:59 GMT 2017
Domain Last Updated Date: Tue Jan 05 18:31:11 GMT 2016
DNSSEC: false

A google street view of the address listed:

 

[Jotamide]

I can't believe people still give money to Tim Schafer.

 

[Jamix012]

Pretty sure Double Fine own it.

I vaguely remember them saying way back when they were going to open their own crowdfunding site that allowed people to invest if they wanted, and it fits.

Edit:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...unding-platform-offering-return-on-investment

Here's the eurogamer article on it.

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

tim schaefer is president and ceo of fig.co
that's why they used it

 

[Gaz_RB]

Administrative Contact Name: Freeman

Half Life 3 Crowdfunding Confirmed.

 

[Corpekata]

It's invested in by a few of the big crowdfunding types like Schafer and Brian Fargo and the CEO of Obsidian.

You probably could have had an easier time finding info just going to Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fig_(company)

 

[Ouren]

It's been used a few times for a few games, but this was the highest profile one.

 

[RiverBed]

From another thread:

Technically, he sits on their "advisory board" and the CEO is a former Double Fine dev.

He was a big part of making Fig and has stated in at least one interview that all future Double Fine crowdfunding projects will only use Fig.

So it does have strong DF affiliation. I'm thinking DF has a stake in Fig.co- a big one even.

 

[JayEH]

It basically is just kickstarter with the option to actually invest in a game so you can get a return.

Here's an article with more details.

http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/fig-a-new-crowdfunding-platform-allows-qualified-i/1100-5260/

 

[BuddyC]

The About page on Fig.co (https://www.fig.co/about) does a pretty decent job outlining a lot of that:

OUR ADVISORY BOARD

BRIAN FARGO
CEO
inXile Entertainment
After founding Interplay Entertainment in 1983 and launching some of the biggest franchises of all time (including Bard's Tale, Wasteland, and Fallout), Fargo formed inXile in 2002 and has gone on to crowdfund $8.5 million for Wasteland 2, Torment: Tides of Numenera, and Bard's Tale 4.

AARON ISAKSEN
Co-founder
Indie Fund
Aaron is an early investor and advisor in Fig, and has worked in the digital entertainment and games industry since 1999. As a co-founder of Indie Fund, organizer for IndieCade, Chairman of IndieBox, and president of AppAbove Games, he brings years of game investing experience and insight.

ALEX RIGOPULOS
Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer
Harmonix Studios
With an academic background in computer music from MIT, Alex co-founded Harmonix in 1995 with the mission of inventing new ways for non-musicians to experience the joy of making music. As CEO until 2014 and currently CCO, Alex ensures the creative excellence of all Harmonix products.

TIM SCHAFER
President & CEO
Double Fine Productions
Tim Schafer is President and CEO of Double Fine Productions, makers of critically acclaimed games like Psychonauts and Brütal Legend. He's also known for his record-breaking $3.3 million crowdfunding campaign for Double Fine Adventure, helping inspire a new era of crowdfunded games.

FEARGUS URQUHART
CEO
Obsidian Entertainment
After rising to become President of Black Isle Studios in 1996, Urquhart co-founded Obsidian Entertainment 2003. As CEO, he's helped develop and publish notable RPGs including Baldur's Gate, Fallout 1 & 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Planescape: Torment, South Park: The Stick of Truth and Pillars of Eternity.

FIG IN THE PRESS

FastCompany
With a focus on video games alone, Fig aims to make indie developers stand out versus the thousands of other projects on crowdfunding sites. http://www.fastcompany.com/3049614/...nts-to-give-you-a-bigger-stake-in-their-games

Polygon
What if Kickstarter let you profit from a game’s success? Fig found a way and launches today. http://www.polygon.com/2015/8/18/91...-equity-investment-games-outer-wilds-masi-oka

PC World
…maybe the promise of an actual share in profits will make crowdfunding interesting again. http://www.pcworld.com/article/2972...ly-invest-in-and-profit-from-indie-games.html

TechCrunch
A conspiracy has been hatched by the world’s top Triple-A and indie developers to change the way computer games are financed. It’s called Fig. It’s a highly curated reward and equity crowdfunding platform just for games. http://techcrunch.com/2015/08/18/fig-games/

 

[conweller]

This has a ton of related info on this question. (I haven't double checked all of the info myself.)

https://youtu.be/hFX0f_YUn1I

 

[Uhyve]

From another thread:


So it does have strong DF affiliation. I'm thinking DF has a stake in Fig.co- a big one even.

They probably just don't have to pay the Kickstarter fees (5%?). I mean, with a big budget, those fees aren't nothing.

 

[PaulloDEC]

I can't believe people still give money to Tim Schafer.

I can't believe there's still people labouring under the delusion that Tim Schafer has been stealing people's money.

This has a ton of related info on this question. (I haven't double checked all of the info myself.)

https://youtu.be/hFX0f_YUn1I

This video got deleted from another thread earlier this week, FYI. I think the uploader has links to some Gamergate shenanigans.

 

[nephilimdj]

Pachter talked about it recently, kinda interesting

 

[Gruso]

This has a ton of related info on this question. (I haven't double checked all of the info myself.)

https://youtu.be/hFX0f_YUn1I

Everyone should watch this and make up their own mind. I'm no expert on these matters and I suspect a lot of the legalese is pretty standard fare. Suffice to say though, don't rely on About pages and gushy press releases to tell you everything you need to know about this wonderful opportunity to invest in a game...

 

[D3VI0US]

Usually when I need information the first place I check is Google, give it a shot next time OP.

 

[El Aleph]

Everyone should watch this and make up their own mind. I'm no expert on these matters and I suspect a lot of the legalese is pretty standard fare. Suffice to say though, don't rely on About pages and gushy press releases to tell you everything you need to know about this wonderful opportunity to invest in a game...

Yeah, I should just listen to some random Gamergate doofus on Youtube instead. Clearly a reliable source.

 

[Jintor]

Everyone should watch this and make up their own mind. I'm no expert on these matters and I suspect a lot of the legalese is pretty standard fare. Suffice to say though, don't rely on About pages and gushy press releases to tell you everything you need to know about this wonderful opportunity to invest in a game...

the YouTube image is a badly photoshoppped image of Tim Schafer's face on raz with a background of American dollars, which to me, inspires confidence in the presenter

 

[BuddyC]

Suffice to say though, don't rely on About pages and gushy press releases to tell you everything you need to know about this wonderful opportunity to invest in a game...

This is quite true -- always do your research, especially when it comes to investment matters.

That said, actually starting with the About pages and gushy press releases tends to be a good first step

 

[GearDraxon]

Usually when I need information the first place I check is Google, give it a shot next time OP.

They did! They used Google Street View to get a picture of the building, which is totally...not...weird and kinda creepy.

This isn't exactly an exposé, OP. Most everyone who funded / learned about the Psychonauts 2 campaign knew about Fig and the connection to Double Fine.

 

[dity]

Wait, is there some sort of conspiracy theory going on that warrants a thread like this?

 

[#sorrynotsorry]

Usually when I need information the first place I check is Google, give it a shot next time OP.

Personally when I want to find out about a website my first step is to visit the website. I suppose attempting to track down the Whois and street address are equally useful.

 

[TimmiT]

Everyone should watch this and make up their own mind. I'm no expert on these matters and I suspect a lot of the legalese is pretty standard fare. Suffice to say though, don't rely on About pages and gushy press releases to tell you everything you need to know about this wonderful opportunity to invest in a game...

Somehow I don't think a video titled "Psychofrauds" by a Gamergate nut is gpnna be much more informative.

 

[xxracerxx]

They did! They used Google Street View to get a picture of the building, which is totally...not...weird and kinda creepy.

That building looks like 1,000 others in San Francisco.

 

[PaulloDEC]

the YouTube image is a badly photoshoppped image of Tim Schafer's face on raz with a background of American dollars, which to me, inspires confidence in the presenter

And if you like that, you'll love the shot he uses later of Tim drawn in the style of a super-racist Jewish caricature.

Wait, is there some sort of conspiracy theory going on that warrants a thread like this?

I can't speak for the OP, but everything Double Fine does involving crowdfunding nowadays comes with a huge amount of scrutiny, a large percentage of which comes from paranoid people and people involved with the Gamergate movement.

 

[xxracerxx]

This has a ton of related info on this question. (I haven't double checked all of the info myself.)

https://youtu.be/hFX0f_YUn1I

Gamergate youtube site, excellent.

 

[morningbus]

OP posted this in the other, "successfully funded" thread and then removed it. I'm not sure what the intent here is or why this is presented as a mystery as any kind of perusal of the website or a quick google search would answer your questions.

But, I'll put that aside and answer your questions:

I've only heard of it with the Double Fine announcement. Checked it at the time and couldn't find any other games hosted. I just checked now and found there are only three games.

They're a relatively new platform that have only run a few campaigns.

The URL is registered since 2010, so I don't know if it was hibranating or if it was used for something else.

One of the founders, who worked at Double Fine, probably secured a nice and easy domain a while back for the future. Was their intent to make this crowd-funding platform? I dunno. Does it matter?

Is the site/company owned by Double Fine?

No.

Did DF say why the chose it? Does anyone know anything about it?

It's a new platform, created by one of Double Fine's former employees that allows for the regular kickstarter-style project backing AND actual capital investment with a potential return on investment. They chose it because that's how they wanted to fund Psychonauts 2.

It's just weird how it's all so sudden with such a big event reveal.

It isn't. Everything starts somewhere.

Hope that helps!

 

[hypodrmage]

OP may be on to something - spell fig backwards and you get gif - which clearly stands for Give Illuminati Funding.

Follow the trail, man. Makes you think!

 

[xxracerxx]

OP may be on to something - spell fig backwards and you get gif - which clearly stands for Give Illuminati Funding.

Follow the trail, man. Makes you think!

 

[213372bu]

Not sure about the dude who made the video, but this is a totally sketchy thing to put money into and I did watch it after it was linked on GAF, and also read and besides DF's track history with their latest games, some articles talking about fig are really skeptical.

It looks like they include steam bundles and humble sales in their "break-even" for your investment, they also have the rights to shift money from your investment to an entirely different game and it doesn't give lots of the benefits that you would get from investing in a company/start-up/mutual fund.

Psychonauts 2 will probably sell well, but I wouldn't personally use Fig for nothing but a Kickstarter system. If you want to invest, I'd go for finding a financial planner and seeing if you can set up yourself a mutual fund on start-ups. Actually, I'd love to hear what a financial planner would think about investing in Fig.

 

[GearDraxon]

That building looks like 1,000 others in San Francisco.

So you're saying that Fig could be all around us?

 

[hypodrmage]

The eye of Schafer is always watching!

 

[duckroll]

Instead of making a thread, you could have clicked on Search, typed in Fig, checked "Search Titles Only", and ran the search. Then you would find:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1098237&highlight=fig
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1098831&highlight=fig
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1145279&highlight=fig

Threads which clearly tell you what you need to know.