Today Harmonix has revealed a partnership with Fig to release an upcoming unannounced game. Fig, purportedly the first video game focused fund raising platform that allows both crowdfunding and more traditional forms of investment, aims to focus on indie games development. Already, indie figureheads such as Tim Shafter and Brian Fargo have signed on to their advisory board. Other members include Harmonix's chief creative officer Alex Rigopulos, CEO of Obsidian Entertainment Feargus Urquhart, and former COO of Double Fine Justin Bailey.
Their first financing campaign is for Outer Wilds, a space adventure game from Mobius Digital which has raised 75K in investment and has 24K left to raise in the next fifteen days. Harmonix, meanwhile, is still in the process of releasing Amplitude, which was funded through Kickstarter and has been delayed until next year. It is an interesting if not risky move for the company, which has been having financial troubles the past few years, perhaps in part due to Microsoft's lack of support for the Kinect. This new partnership, however, may be their path to security while providing a more viable option for indie game funding. At the very least it acknowledges the reality that more often than not, games studios need far more than the amounts they seek on Kickstarter for development, often accepting money after, and sometimes before, their successful campaigns are funded. Perhaps Fig can find a happy middle ground between the two.