Here’s a bizarre one for you:Â Greed Monger’s Jason Appleton is now being billed as a “crypto YouTuber” ahead of the launch of his 13-episode television series funded entirely by bitcoin – it’s called the Crypto Crow Show.
Greed Monger is probably the most famous MMORPG Kickstarter failure to date, having raised over $100,000 back in 2012 to build what the developers said would be a “crafting-focused sandbox MMORPG.” By 2015, the project imploded as devs abandoned it over a lack of funding, generating scam accusations from angry backers. Subsequent attempts to revive the game failed. Appleton resurfaced earlier this year, promising to reimburse Kickstarter backers with his newfound fortune, though a quick glance through the Kickstarter’s comments shows that currently there are still backers who haven’t received theirs, and Appleton has apparently closed down applications for refunds and is bashing donors still asking for their money back.
“All people coming here dropping their pants is going to do is make sure you are either the very last person to get a refund or none at all,” he wrote this week. “A part of this games failure was the self fulfilling prophecy of the haters, trolls and flamers that loved to hate everything about it. Now, some of you are doing the same thing to yourselves. I dont HAVE to give you refunds. I have chosen to. I will not give refunds to people adding to my stress or creating more problems for me. Simple as that. It’s 1am EST and I still have another hour of work at least before I can think about sleep. Just relax and wait patiently. It’s been years. You aren’t in any hurry. I’m doing what I can with the time I have.”
(With thanks to Reed and Anon for the tips on this story!)
Meanwhile, Pantropy’s Kickstarter funded for close to $90,000, Wild Mage launched a Kickstarter, Star Citizen mapped out its PGC system and suffered criticism from its backers over it latest ship sale, Chronicles of Elyria prepped for alpha, and Albion Online announced its Merlyn update.
Read on for more on what’s up with MMO crowdfunding over the last week and the weekly roundup of all the crowdfunded MMOs we’re following.
Albion Online
Recent MMO crowdfunding news
Wild Mage: Phantom Twilight mixes together Final Fantasy IX, Minecraft, and Fruit Ninja - Want to explore everything, destroy everything, and cut everything in half? Want to do all of that while riding around on a boss airship? Then you're going to need to…
Change history in Path of Exile’s Incursion League starting June 1st - [AL:POE]If, like me, you are still quite disappointed from the announcement that the beloved Bestiary League won't be included in the core of Path of Exile, perhaps Grinding Gear Games can…
Pantropy’s second Kickstarter successfully funds and hits five stretch goals along the way - Second time proved to be the charm with Pantropy, as the sci-fi shooter wrapped up a successful Kickstarter campaign just two months after cancelling its first one. The team was…
Star Citizen deep-dives its player-generated content system - This week's Star Citizen Around the Verse begins with a project update recap. CIG says it's working on legacy armor sets, shopping kiosks, audio and VFX, ships (including the Starfarer's…
Chronicles of Elyria seeks fans with medieval subject expertise - WANTED: A medieval chemist, farmer, cartographer, and martial artist to provide input for an upcoming MMORPG. Expertise and unusual knowledge in obscure subjects required. Apply at Soulbound Studios if interested.…
Crowfall’s nights bring a bit of winter to the game - In Crowfall, the days are for partying, but the nights... are for being very afraid. Or at least wary of the many monsters that come out during the night cycle.…
Albion Online discusses the royal city revamp for its upcoming Merlyn update - The trouble with having one universal hub in Albion Online is that basically no one cares about the five other hubs in the game. That's what the game's next content…
Albion Online is coming to Steam on May 16 – check out the latest trailer - Crowdfunded indie PvP sandbox Albion Online officially launched last summer, finding so much initial success that its servers were hammered and it even suffered a round of extortion-centered DDOS attacks before settling into a scaled-down MMO live team…
Crowfall talks about the upcoming debut of world clusters and more complex win conditions - This month's developer question and answer video from the Crowfall team is full of exciting steps forward in the game's history, starting with the upcoming debut of world clusters. World…
Ship of Heroes hints at ‘significant’ login test to come - Hope your brightly colored spandex is back from the dry cleaners, because you're going to need them sooner rather than later. The team at Ship of Heroes hinted at a…
The love boat docks in Chronicles of Elyria’s port - Hope you're ready for a combination of both nautical and amorous elements, because that's what Chronicles of Elyria is dishing up for its "Kickstarterversary." In other news, the English language…
Path of Exile will not maintain the Bestiary League mechanics in the core game - [AL:POE]It's hard not to hear about how Path of Exile players like the game's Bestiary League. It's been a real breakout success for the game, and the combination of the…
Soulbound readies Chronicles of Elyria for pre-alpha - Here is some exciting news for Chronicles of Elyria's fans: The project is nearing its first alpha phase as the dev team lays down the foundation for VoxElyria. This will…
Shroud of the Avatar has swapped all store credits for gold crowns as of today - Update 52 is old news - Shroud of the Avatar is already looking ahead to release 53 and beyond. So sayeth the game's latest newsletter, which offers a peek into the…
Star Citizen players grumble over warbonds, insurance, and the latest concept ship promotion - Last week, Cloud Imperium began teasing a brand-new concept ship for Star Citizen, the Hercules Starlifter and its variants. While most gamers will roll their eyes at paying for pixel…
Wild Mage
Campaigns and crowdfunded MMOs we’re watching
3001SQ (Société des Mondes Virtuels) – Kickstarter unsuccessful. Work continues.
AdventureQuest 3D (Artix Entertainment) – Raised 368k; beta began Oct 2016.
Albion Online (Sandbox) – Launched July 2017.
Antraxx (Team Antraxx) – Kickstarter canceled.
Ascent: The Space Game (Fluffy Kitten Studios) – Successful KS. Fully launched 2016.
Ashes of Creation (Intrepid Studios) – Successful KS. Alpha zero.
Broke Protocol (Cylinder) – Unsuccessful KS. In free early access.
Camelot Unchained (City State) – Kickstarter successful; open donations/packages.
Caribbean Conquest (Invenio) – First KS canceled, second ended unsuccessfully.
Contested Space (Zon)
Crowfall (ArtCraft) – Kickstarter win, open packages, Indiegogo crowdfunding ongoing.
Chronicles of Elyria (Soulbound) – Kickstarter successful, open packages.
Citadel of Sorcery (MMO Magic, Inc.) –Â Open donations.
City of Titans (Missing Worlds Media) – Successful KS; launching fall 2018.
Descent Underground (Descendent Studios) – Successful KS.
Divergence Online (Stained Glass Llama)Â –Â Three campaigns; now in KS early access.
Dogma: Eternal Night (Prelude Games Factory): Kickstarter over, donor preorder packs.
Dragon of Legends (Thrive Games) – Successful Kickstarter.
Dual Universe (Novaquark) – Kickstarter funded, donor platform. Pre-alpha.
Eco (Strange Loop Games) – Funded, now in alpha.
Edengrad (Huckleberry Games) – Kickstarter funded; in early access.
Elite: Dangerous (Frontier Developments) – Funded and launched.
Empyrion Online (Eleon) – Kickstarter canceled; launched on Steam early access.
Epic Space (EpicSpace.net)
Ever, Jane (3 Turn Productions) – Now in open beta.
Global Adventures (SubaGames) – Kickstarter funded.
Gloria Victis (Black Eye Games) – Open donations, no end date; in early access.
Greed Monger (Greed Monger) – Abandoned, now allegedly in refund process.
Grim Dawn (Crate Entertainment) – Funded and launched.
Guardians of Ember (Runewaker) – Funded and launched.
Guns of Icarus (Muse) – Funded and launched.
Hero’s Song (Pixelmage) –Â KS canceled; Indiegogo. Canceled w/ refunds.
Infinity: Battlescape (I-Novae Studios)
HEX (HEX Entertainment) –Â Funded and launched.
Legends of Aria (Citadel Studios) – Kickstarted as Shards Online. Alpha ended.
Life is Feudal (Bitbox): Indiegogo ended. Currently in beta.
LUX (Chimera) – Kickstarter canceled.
Maestros of the Anthymn (String Theory) – Kickstarter canceled.
Maguss (Maguss) – Indiegogo successful; open beta.
Mekria (Infinity Online Studios) – Kickstarter canceled.
Midair (Archetype Studios) – Kickstarter successful.
Nebula Online (Mizar Games) Kickstarter canceled; launched in November.
Neo’s Land (NeoJac Entertainment) –Â Open donations, no end date.
Novus AEterno (Taitale Studios)
OrbusVR (Ad Alternum) – KS funded March 2017. In early access.
Overpower (Hydrant Games) –Â Kickstarter unfunded; heading to early access.
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen (Visionary Realms) –Â Open donations. Pre-alpha.
Pantropy (Brain Stone GmbH): First Kickstarter canceled, second funded.
Pathfinder Online (GoblinWorks) – Doom, mostly.
Planet Nomads (Craneballs) – Kickstarted, early access launched sans multiplayer.
Pixel Starships (SavySoda)
Project Gorgon (Elder Game) – Kickstarted in three tries + Indiegogo. Early access.
Pumpkin Online (Monique) – Downgrading from MMORPG.
The Exiled (Fairytale Distillery) – fka Das Tal; 2015Â KSÂ unsuccessful. Early access.
The Realm: Reawakened (Stephen Nichols) – Ongoing GoFundMe.
The Repopulation (Idea Fabrik) – Kickstarted twice by A&B. Back in alpha.
ROKH (Darewise) – Kickstarter canceled; now in early access.
RUiN (Tarhead Studio) – Kickstarter successful.
The Stomping Land (Alex Fundora) – Abandoned.
Sacrament (Ferocity Unbound) – Kickstarter failed; Patreon ongoing.
Shadow’s Kiss (Clockwork Throne) – Ongoing Patreon, Kickstarter funded.
Shroud of the Avatar (Portalarium) – Successful KS. Soft launch July 2016. Launch March 2018.
Star Citizen (Cloud Imperium) – Ongoing donations/packages.
TUG (Nerd Kingdom) – In middle of year-long revamp after funding surge.
Vigor Roads (NeuronHaze) – Kickstarter unsuccessful; early access planned for 2017.
War of Rights (Campfire Games) – Successful Kickstarter; in alpha.
