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Back in 2012, developer Roberts Space Industries (RSI) launched a Kickstarter asking for money to fund Star Citizen—an ambitious space game in the mold of Wing Commander. It's 2018, and while parts of the game are playable in various forms, it's far from achieving what it set out to accomplish. So far, it's collected more than $200 million in funding from fans eager to play it.
Ken Lord was one of those fans, and an early backer of Star Citizen. He's got a Golden Ticket, a mark on his account that singles him out as an early member of the community. In April of 2013, Lord pledged $4,496 to the project. Five years later, the game still isn't out, and Lord wants his money back. RSI wouldn't refund it, so Lord took the developer to small-claims court in California.
It's a simple case of an investor who's upset he didn't get his money back, isn't it?
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Friday July 20 2018, @02:30PM
No, it doesn't.
They promised to work on a project and do the best job they could. They promised that the product may not live up to all their other promises. They apparently have delivered a product that did not live up to those promises, and prima facie did not intentionally deceive. Not fraud.
If they hadn't delivered at all... many Kickstarters are smart enough to add one more sentence: "Due to unpredictable factors that may be beyond our control our intentions may not be realized, however, we are very committed to producing blah blah blah."
Put it another way: What tort, civil or criminal, do you think they are guilty of, and what's the basis for proof of it? Because from what I see it's not fraud and neglience would be a hard sell.
This sig for rent.