author: Bart Swiatek
Kickstarter Suspends Fundraiser for RAW, a GTA Online Clone
Kickstarter has suspended the campaign for RAW - a GTA Online clone, which is being developed by a small, independent team. In the opinion of the platform's representative, the project did not meet the principles of transparency and honesty.
IN A NUTSHELL:
- Fundraiser for RAW was suspended by Kickstarter;
- The platform made such a decision because the creators admitted that the amount of money indicated on the game profile was not enough to complete the works;
- Developers will consider alternative financing options;
- The title has already aroused suspicion among some players.
PCGamesN reports that Kickstarter has suspended its collection for RAW a complex GTA Online clone. The reason for the suspension of the crowdfunding campaign was the fact that the developers admitted that the amount they wanted to raise (USD 79,000) was to be only a part of the budget for this production. In the opinion of the platform's representative, this creates an impression of unfairness and contradicts one of the basic principles of the service.
Transparency and Kickstarter rules
“Our rules and guidelines ask that creators seek to raise the amount of money needed to bring a project to completion and fulfill all rewards,” a Kickstarter representative tells us. “This creator stated in an update that they would need to raise additional funds outside of Kickstarter to complete the game. We require projects to be honest and clearly presented, and this project failed to meet that standard,” said the representative of the website in a statement for PCGamesN.
Kickstarter's decision may raise doubts of people familiar with the topic of community collections, because there is no shortage of examples of games that sought funding also outside the website (this was the case with Shenmue III). However, this situation is different in one key aspect - the creators have admitted that they will need more money when the collection was still ongoing.
The developers responsible for the title do not hide the fact that Kickstarter's decision is disappointing to them, but they do not intend to lay down their arms and will consider other options.
"IndieGoGo is one of the options. The second is to organize a fundraise on our website," reads the Discord channel associated with the game.
Earlier doubts and controversies
Ambitious scale of the project raised doubts of some players. Reddit entries devoted to the title, often contain expressions of disbelief that a small, independent studio would be able to create such a large, complicated and refined production. Some people also asked how the creators got to the point where they are now (most of the necessary systems are said to be finished). Developers referred to this controversy in a recent Kickstarter entry dated July 12.
Overall we spend on our game development approximately €10,000 at this moment and we are not trying to say that it is a huge amount of money, but it's a big amount of money when you don't have an actual income for 2,5 years. We understand that this all sounds like excuses, but we are trying to be honest with you," we read.
Finally, it is worth noting that people who trusted developers and supported RAW with their money do not have to fear that they will lose their money - according to Kickstarter's rules of operation, the funds go to the creators only after the end of the collection. No amount should be deducted from your account.