A group of Spiral Knights ‘fans’ form an LLC to try to purchase the game and turn it into a blockchain clowncar

November 30, 2022 12:30 PM

Spiral Knights is not a game that pings our radar very often, but it is still trucking along regardless – we last peered in on the MMO as part of our coverage of MMO Halloween. Apparently, semi-regular updates aren’t enough for a specific sect of fans of the game, who have formed an LLC with the express purpose of attempting to buy the IP from publisher/developer Grey Havens, develop the game, and integrate blockchain technology to create “an interactive story experience.”

The LLC, known as Iron Hills, is made up of several apparently well-known fans of Spiral Knights, all of whom claim that they are “deeply passionate about Spiral Knights and are looking forward to expanding the world of Spiral Knights to a wider audience to spread the same joy the game has given [them].”

In a move that tells how out-of-touch these fans are, the announcement of the LLC was made on the game’s subreddit, where it it received the due text-based thrashing from actual players that it deserved.

One of the more interesting replies on the thread offered a quote from the Iron Hills Discord, where the would-be buyers confirmed that Grey Havens “has communicated to Iron Hills that it has no plans of changing its game ownership at this time.” Nevertheless, Iron Hills reps still apparently believe that Grey Havens’ partnership with developer Black Mammoth Games to publish Arcane Waters is reason enough to “feel optimistic in [their] continued communications with Grey Havens.”

Redditors go on to grill Iron Hills over how it intends to raise funds and what it will do with those funds, ask about its decision to use NFTs and blockchain tech, and ponder why the LLC doesn’t go through more traditional crowdfunding schemes. “At best, this appears to be a poorly thought out business plan, which should make people hesitant to give you their money. At worst, this is a scam, which should make people very hesitant to give you their money,” one poster concludes.