Game investment platform Fig cancels ‘Homeworld 3’ share reservations

Game investment platform Fig announced this week (2 June) that it has cancelled all Homeworld 3 share reservations.

Fig allows gamers to invest in video games prior to release. Unlike crowdfunding platforms, which typically use incentives to reward investments, Fig takes a share of developer profits for backers.

Homeworld 3 is an upcoming real-time strategy video game developed by Blackbird Interactive and will be published by Gearbox Publishing.

Homeworld 3’s Fig campaign launched in June 2019 and ran until September of that same year. The campaign reached $1,505,840 (£1,063,394), and holds the record as the most-funded game on the platform.

Fig announced the cancellation of share reservations in an email sent to backers earlier this week.

In the email, which Reddit user u/Walkaboutout shared yesterday, Fig stated: “As you may be aware, there have been recent changes at Gearbox. Due to these developments, Fig will no longer be collecting investment reservations for Homeworld 3”

Game investment/crowdfunder Fig just cancelled all share reservations for Homeworld 3 from Games

The recent changes the email referred to is the merger between Gearbox Entertainment Company and Embracer Group. Embracer Group acquired the game publisher for $1.3billion (£918million) in February of this year.

Fig’s email also emphasised that the development of Homeworld 3 remains unaffected by the merger, and that all backers will still receive “the game and all associated rewards”.

Homeworld 3’s Fig campaign included several pre-order options for the game ranging from $60 for access to Homeworld 3 and a private Discord, through to £1,000 for a bundle containing signed art.

Homeworld 3 Credit: Blackbird Interactive / Gearbox

For $500, backers could also invest in the game and earn a share of its profits, known as profit dividends, upon its release.

Homeworld 3 is set to be released in 2022, and will launch exclusively on PC.

Last month, Gearbox CEO Randy Pichford hinted that the company is working on another Borderlands game in a series of tweets debunking collaboration rumours.

According to Pichford’s tweets, Gearbox are “working on the big one”, which many fans took to mean a sequel or spin-off of Borderlands 3.

Alongside this potential teaser, Pitchford revealed that rumours of a collaborative effort were untrue.

“I am told of rumors that Gearbox is ‘assisting’ or ‘co-developing’ another Borderlands game (or a new spin-off game),” Pitchford said in his tweet.

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