Gears of War Designer Cliff Bleszinski Invests in New Crowdfunding Site Fig

Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski has invested in the new crowdfunding platform Fig, the site announced today.

Unlike Kickstarter and Indiegogo, Fig lets users support a project with either traditional, rewards-based crowdfunding or by way of equity, where the backer can reap the benefits if the project takes off.

"We are super excited to welcome Cliff, a believer that Fig can help game makers find passionate supporters for their projects while retaining creative control," Fig CEO Justin Bailey said in a blog post.

Bleszinski's specific level of investment into Fig was not made public. He spoke to Forbes about why he's getting involved, citing a shortcoming of Kickstarter.

"I asked myself--if I put in a good chunk of money in Kickstarter, shouldn't I get more than like a mug?" he said. "It's the classic example of vote with your dollars by way of investing."

Bleszinski, who now runs Lawbreakers studio Boss Key, is not the first gaming industry veteran to put his name behind Fig. The platform's advisory committee, which chooses the games that make it onto the site, also includes people like Brian Fargo (inXile), Alex Rigopulos (Harmonix), Tim Schafer (Double Fine), and Feargus Urquhart (Obsidian).

Additionally, BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk invested in the Fig game Consortium: The Tower, which was a big success on the site.

Not all Fig campaigns have taken off, however. Rock Band 4's PC crowdfunding effort came up short, as did the drive for the next game from the makers of Scribblenauts.

You can learn more about Fig here on its website. Bleszinski also invested in Oculus Rift (outside of Kickstarter), and made a "very sizable chunk of money" when Facebook acquired Oculus VR.