Gearbox has announced that Homeworld 3 is in development at Blackbird Interactive, and the publisher is soliciting additional funds and input from the community through the crowdfunding platform Fig.
It’s always of note when established developers or publishers turn to crowdfunding platforms to help make a game a reality, but Gearbox has made it clear the game’s future isn’t contingent on the crowdfunding campaign taking off.
To make true on that promise, the Homeworld 3 campaign launched with only a $1 funding goal. It has, naturally, already surpassed that goal after just a few days on the platform.
At the time of writing, the Homeworld 3 campaign has raised over $500,000, about half of which is made up of investment-styled Fig Funds as opposed to traditional crowdfunding pledges.
Gearbox notes that the game is only a few months into pre-production, allowing it to solicit thoughts and suggestions from backers on “its features, priorities, and even what the collector’s edition will include” and, later on, report back on how backer data influenced the game’s development. At the same time, through Fig's unique investment model, Gearbox says the community is given the opportunity to potentially see returns on their investments once the game launches as well.
“We want it to be clear that the game is on a solid foundation, funding-wise,” Gearbox explains on the campaign’s Fig page. “We’re partnering with Fig to give back to longtime fans who have sustained Homeworld for years by giving them a chance to invest in Homeworld 3’s success and help us understand the game they’ve been dreaming about.”