The Kickstarter for Open World RP Game RAW Has Been Suspended

The crowd-funding campaign for RAW, the MMO role-playing game inspired by GTA Online, has been suspended on Kickstarter. and According to a representative, it's because they weren't clear and honest about funding.

Started by Killerwhale Games, RAW is an open world sandbox based on the real world. Players would be able to get jobs, socialize, tend to their diet and health, and all of the engaging aspects of games like Rust and GTA Online RP servers.



The game held a Kickstarter to help fund the idea. When the campaign finished about two weeks ago, the team had managed to raise around $190,000, a solid $112,000 over the target goal.

And there lies the problem.

Many backers were wondering how a project like this could in any way be possible with nothing more than $79,000. The question was answered in the Kickstarter FAQ.
 

"Of course we need a lot more than $79,000. The minimum comfortable amount is about $300,000. We said earlier that there will be several fundraising campaigns. Kickstarter is the first stage.
. . .
After Kickstarter campaign, we will start the IndieGoGo campaign. By the time we open it, we will have a small community already. "

 
Regardless of whether you can agree with this method or not, this bit of logistics is what caused the suspension. PCGamesN spoke with a Kickstarter representative, who explained how this process is against Kickstarter's rules and guidelines.
 

Our rules and guidelines ask that creators seek to raise the amount of money needed to bring a project to completion and fulfill all rewards. This creator stated in an update that they would need to raise additional funds outside of Kickstarter to complete the game. We require projects to be honest and clearly presented, and this project failed to meet that standard.

 
It's a common strategy to have behind-the-scenes funding with Kickstarter projects. This is because a successful Kickstarter campaign can be used as a concrete example when pitching to investors that consumers are already interested. But when this happens, the publisher/developer doesn't actually tell the consumers. This is a good example of why.

Since Kickstarter doesn't charge people until a campaign has ended, no one has been charged for their backing yet. Should the campaign be canceled properly, they backers won't see any charges.