5 incredible video game kick-starters that turned out to be a scam

Games often require a hefty budget to deliver the promised gameplay features. Developers and creators short on the desired budget often use crowdfunding to expand their projects to ensure that the title meets the standards and matches their blueprint.

Unfortunately, some titles are never meant to be and turn out to be scams. With their hard-earned money on the line in crowdfunding ventures, it is natural for gamers to be displeased when they realize that the advertised game was a scam all along.

Disclaimer: This listicle contains the writer's opinions.

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DreamWorld and four other video game kick-starters that turned out to be a scam

1) Mansion Lord

Mansion Lord (Image via Kickstarter)

Mansion Lord was supposed to be a mix of genres. It was advertised as a business simulator that doubled up as a murder mystery RPG. The developers, Golgom Games, began a Kickstarter program for this title back in 2013. Fast forward to 2023, and there’s still no sign of the game whatsoever.

The title raised around $30,788 with around 1,000 backers on Kickstarter and allegedly acquired some additional funds on PayPal as well. The Kickstarter page was last updated in 2014, and the title never saw the light of day. The comments tab is filled with angry backers who are annoyed about losing their money.

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2) Star Citizen

Cloud Imperium Games, the developers behind Star Citizen, initiated the Kickstarter campaign in October 2012. Star Citizen has become a crowdfunding juggernaut, accumulating more than half a billion dollars. Although many space enthusiasts who contributed to the crowdfunding have paid small chunks, Star Citizen still awaits a formal release.

Features like piloting various ships, an ever-evolving universe with many star systems to explore, and even a standalone story in Squadron 42 were promised. However, the community is skeptical about its final release. Many are considering Star Citizen an elaborate scam that will never deliver.

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3) TitanReach

TitanReach was presented as an MMO resembling Runescape. Square Root Studios had a modest goal of amassing $430,000 for its completion, and their proactive efforts somehow managed to accumulate half of the amount above.

The studio thus declared its plans to cancel the project in 2021 but later announced the involvement of an angel investor that re-ignited hopes amongst backers. However, in February 2022, the studio officially withdrew it, stating a lack of funds. It was soon revealed that one of the lead developers used the funds to invest in crypto and purchase a Tesla car.

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4) DreamWorld

DreamWorld was promised to be a living, breathing world, enabling players to do anything they wanted, ranging from fighting to taming creatures and collecting resources to build. The Kickstarter campaign collected over $60,000, wherein fans expected DreamWorld to be an experience similar to Minecraft or Roblox.

But, as it turned out, the features promised to the players were too good to be true, like the ability to accommodate and import any 3D models uploaded into the title. The creators marketed DreamWorld as "the last game you'll ever play" by making it seem like a combination of all genres, but it is yet to be released. There have been no updates about the same.

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5) Project Phoenix

Things were looking good for a new JRPG called Project Phoenix when Hiroaki Yuri initiated a kick-starter campaign a decade ago (in 2013) and even announced a collaboration with Nobuo Uematsu, who is known for his musical contributions to many Final Fantasy titles. This cemented the reputation of Project Phoenix and piqued player curiosity.

Fast forward to 2016, and there was not much progress in the development. Soon after that, Hiroaki Yuri allegedly diverted funds (approx $1 million) from this game to another project called Tiny Metal. This was never proven, but it thwarted Project Pheonix's progress and ultimately deprived its backers of a finished product.

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Several games get canceled owing to unforeseen circumstances, but that sting is nothing compared to losing money due to backing a scam. One can peruse this list highlighting five exciting games that were canceled.