Crowdfunding outfit Fig has announced its first ever returns to investors, revealing those who purchased Fig Game Shares for Kingdoms and Castles have doubled their money by earning a 100 percent return.
Unlike conventional crowdfunding platforms, Fig lets people invest in projects to receive Fig Game Shares, which give them a right to certain revenue returns based on a game’s sales.
Obviously there’s a clear risk-reward game at play whenever someone invests in a project, as there’s no guarantee a game will go on to be financially successful. That’s clear when you look at the contrasting fortunes of Fig’s first two game releases.
Kingdoms and Castles, which was the first Fig-funded game to hit shelves, has generated over $1 million in revenue after just two weeks. But the company’s second release, Solstice Chronicles: MIA, wasn’t quite as successful.
According to Steam Spy data, while Kingdoms and Castles sold over 120,000 copies in three weeks, Solstice Chronicles has only managed around 2800 sales in two weeks. Now, while Steam Spy data isn’t 100 percent accurate, the gulf between the two titles is apparent — and might serve as a cautionary tale for potential investors.
Still, it’s good news for those who banked on Kingdoms and Castles. Fig says the medieval city builder sold enough copies within 48 hours of launch to recover initial investments, and could continue to generate revenue for its Fig Game Share investors for the next three years.
Update: A Fig representative points out that while Solstice Chronicles: MIA has in fact sold far fewer copies than Kingdoms and Castles, it’s close to breaking even in terms of returns to investors, in part because its initial revenue share was higher: approximately 50 percent, as opposed to 20 percent for Kingdom and Castles.
Solstice is also selling at twice the price of Kingdoms and Castles ($20 vs $10), and Fig expects it will start to turn a profit for investors after it breaks even at 3,856 units sold. So far, it’s sold ~3,116 copies in the two weeks since its July 26th launch, the rep said.