Not every proposed video game on Kickstarter is able to make its goal. And the margin between what is asked and what is received in the end can vary significantly. But how does twenty eight dollars sound?
Alpha Colony, which touts itself as a family friendly sim game for smart phones and PCs, was only able to raise $49,972 of the $50,000 needed for the project to be successful.
It goes without saying that everyone within DreamQuest, the developer of the game, must be (among other things) totally and utterly gobsmaked. On their Facebook page, the following statement was published:
"Thank you all for your support, but I am afraid that we came up $28 short. Kickstarter is very strict about their terms and our project will not be funded. Obviously, we are very disappointed. We have invested 10 months and over $60,000 of our own money into this project. It is so frustrating to come so close, but clearly there simply isn't that much interest in building the kind of game I envisioned.
I have already invested everything I have getting my dream this far (twice!) and now I must feed my family and focus on projects that will pay the bills. Thank you all for your support and help and I am sorry that we came up short. Perhaps we will try again at some future point once I have attended to my personal and team's immediate financial needs. I have been trying to build this game for almost 14 years so I doubt this is the end for Alpha Colony, but I do have to be responsible business owner and father and accept the reality of where we are at the moment and what the world wants."
Many have offered to cover the difference after the fact, or proposed other ideas, but none of them are possible it would seem. Here's a far more recent update:
"Thank you all for your support, but I am afraid that we came up $28 short on our Alpha Colony Kickstarter. I know many of you offered to increase your pledges or suggest that we simply redo the Kickstarter again, but Kickstarter is very strict about their terms and (for now) our project will not be funded. Obviously, we are very disappointed. We have invested 10 months and over $60,000 of our own money into this project."
Even Kotaku, following up on their own report, asked Kickstarter directly if they would be willing to make an exception. Basically, the answer is no:
"That's really, really uncommon… It was a tough finish, but unfortunately we wouldn't bend the rules. Of course, creators can always relaunch a project that was initially unsuccessful."
Rules are rules, unfortunately.
