Fig to pay Wasteland 3, Psychonauts 2 investors lump sum following Microsoft purchase

Fig investors who invested into the development of Wasteland 3 from inXile Entertainment will receive a 132% lump sum return from their investment into the game, the developer has announced.

The return will be a one-off payment rather than Fig’s traditional performance-based payouts, promising a dividend rate of 85% rather than the usual 70%, with those who invested at least $1,000.00 receiving $1,320.75 for every share. The game was funded back in 2016 for $3.1 million from a target of $2.5 million.

This is all down to Microsoft buying the publishing rights for the game for $2.3 million following the company’s purchase last year of inXile Entertainment, announced at X018 alongside Obsidian Entertainment.

It was previously announced Wasteland 3 would be published by Deep Silver for a release in Spring 2020, although it’s unknown how this deal affects that and other platforms, such as PlayStation 4. We’ve asked for more details and will update when we receive a response.

“Our goal has been to get fans involved in the financial funding and growth of the games that they love while providing for the opportunity to also participate in the financial returns,” inXile’s Fig email to investors read. “We are thrilled to be able to provide a positive return to passionate gamers who so generously contributed to this project.

“Based on proceeds from this deal, we will be making a first and final dividend of $1,320.75 per share (a 132% return on each $1,000 share) around September 18 of this year. As an investor in Fig Game Shares – Wasteland 3, you have helped support inXile and the development of Wasteland 3. The game simply would not be what it is without you.”

“It was a major shift for us to move from Kickstarter to Fig with Wasteland 3 but I loved the concept of allowing our fans to back our ideas and profit from them at the same time,” inXile founder Brian Fargo added. “The relationship with Fig delivered on that concept.”

Wasteland 3 isn’t the only game that Microsoft has bought the publishing rights from Fig. On Tuesday, Fig announced to investors for Psychonauts 2 they will receive its own lump-sum payment of 139% return for every $500 investment after MS bought the game’s publishing rights for a little over $1 million.

This follows its acquisition of developer Double Fine, announced in June at E3, with the game itself funded back in January 2016 for $3.8 million. The final crowd-investment was $500,000 more than what was targeted by the developer.

Wasteland 3 and Psychonauts 2 are both now effectively being under the Microsoft banner, but those that had crowd-invested on Fig are now seeing at least some return. Fig has been fairly transparent in how it works with developers and has adapted its internal mechanics to better serve a wider variety of developers.