XCOM Creator's Next Game Hits Crowdfunding Target, Stretch Goals Announced

XCOM creator Julian Gollop's next game, Phoenix Point, has successfully raised its funding goal on the crowdfunding site Fig. Today, the campaign pulled past its $500,000 target, just days after the project got off the ground on April 25.

A success story seemed likely, as Phoenix Point raised more than half of its goal on its first day.

At press time, Phoenix Point's funding stands at $500,543 from 6,738 backers. The campaign ends more than a month from now, on June 8, so the figure is likely to grow much further still.

Fig is different than Kickstarter and Indiegogo in that, in addition to tradition rewards-based backing, the site lets people actually invest in a game, reaping the benefits if a game is a success. Right now, $269,000 has come in through pledges, with the remaining $231,000 from investments.

"We would like to thank all our backers who have made this project possible. Now we are going to make an awesome game for you," developer Snapshot games said.

Now that Phoenix Point has passed its funding target, a pair of stretch goals have been announced. If funding hits $650,000, drivable vehicles will be added. Should funding reach $850,000, the developer will add a "floating fortress" in the sky. You can read more about these features here on Fig.

You can secure a digital copy of Phoenix Point through Fig by pledging $30 or more. The game is scheduled to launch in Q4 2018 for PC.

Phoenix Point was announced in March 2016 and has been in the works since at least then. Gaming Insiders founder David Kaye, as well as former developers from Ubisof Sofia and Crytek Black Sea, are working on Phoenix Point; people who worked on XCOM 2 and X-COM Apocalypse are also on the team.

"We are creating Phoenix Point by taking influences from the famed X-COM franchise," Gollop, the CEO of developer Snapshot Games said in a statement. "We are updating our favorite gameplay features from X-COM titles such as UFO: Enemy Unknown and X-COM Apocalypse that I designed, and mixing them with some of the amazing ideas Firaxis Games executed brilliantly in their franchise reboots, to create an entirely new game whose essence lies in the XCOM genre."

For lots more on Phoenix Point, go to the crowdfunding page here at Fig.

As for the XCOM series, the latest entry in the series is XCOM 2.