Looks like Narita Boy from Studio Koba will now not be supported on Linux

It will more than likely work fine in Proton.

Shame..

RIP

It will more than likely work fine in Proton.

Not the point though, is it.

Then why the hell put Linux as a stretch goal if you're not going to respect it anyway?
And how can you not know that demand for Linux games is not very big unless you've been living in cave for the past 5 years?

I'm sure it wasn't malicious but they sure didn't do a single bit of research.

I'm one of the backers of Nrita Boy, and it's as you suspect: they announced some weeks ago that there will be no Linux version. Backers who had selected the Linux version were offered to "go out", to go for PS4 or Windows version. A friend got into an agreement with them to get a GOG key for a DRM free version, to have better chances to get it running on Linux.

I have a PS4 here, so agreed to PS4 key - did not think of a DRM free version via GOG.


Last edited by chorn on 30 March 2021 at 9:17 am UTC

[…] we did what we could to do a Linux version. But, to do so we have had to bear a negative return on investment because of high costs of testing and QA compared to the low demand of Linux […]

So they got to profit from the extra media attention and support from linux users without wanting to spend on the obligation that got them into.

Even if they give a full refund to the linux backers that doesn't repay the benefits they received.


Last edited by emphy on 30 March 2021 at 9:19 am UTC

But, to do so we have had to bear a negative return on investment because of high costs of testing and QA compared to the low demand of Linux

Oh, please. How is this news? How was this ever news? The devs should have known the Linux market was small when they launched the kickstarter. Or worse, they actually did know and decided to cash in on the hype anyway.

Either way, on the shitlist Studio Koba goes.

Is always the same shit.

You know I'm glad at that time I didn't backed this project... Sorry for the guys who did it.


Last edited by Cyril on 30 March 2021 at 10:25 am UTC

Well, that was to be expected. The campaign ended in March 2017 and they wanted to deliver 18 months later in December 2018. They didn't reach any stretch goals, so feature creep was not to be expected. They delivered 4 years or 48 months after the campaign finished. Interestingly enough the somehow managed to finish a Mac version but it still reeks of incompetence on several levels.

Let's see if I get this right. Cancelling Linux support because of the negative investment is OK, but stating the game will get to Linux to get a positive reaction and successful campaign is also fine? No apologies, no refunds for people that backed it?

The game looks amazing, but they can piss off.

Douchebag moves like this drove people like me away from crowdfunding - so good job in making future indie titles less likely to succeed!

Douchebag moves like this drove people like me away from crowdfunding - so good job in making future indie titles less likely to succeed!

Exactly my sentiment. I contributed to the Funding Crowd articles on here for years and was very bought into the idea of both Kickstarter and IndieGogo. I saw them as a way to promote Linux gaming at a grassroot level. But while (as Liam notes) it worked for a majority of titles, more and more I saw fraudsters emerging, announcing multi-platform support during the campaign, then immediately caveating it on successful completion, or removing it entirely.

Honestly, if Kickstarter had any integrity, they would be following on this fraud legally. But they have their money, so it's left to the punter to lose out. So yeah, tough time for the more honest indies these days.

I expected better in this case - Team 17 have had patchy Linux support over the years, but they've never been outright hostile to launching on our platform. So I suspect it really is just gross incompetence by the developer. I'll wish them well regardless, but they'll never get my money unless they support my platform.

It will more than likely work fine in Proton.

Not the point though, is it.

Or it is the point right now?
I mean, at least give backers support for Proton!
Take a proton build, verify it works, say it will work on linux with that proton version, profit.


Last edited by kokoko3k on 30 March 2021 at 12:40 pm UTC

Then why the hell put Linux as a stretch goal if you're not going to respect it anyway?
And how can you not know that demand for Linux games is not very big unless you've been living in cave for the past 5 years?

I'm sure it wasn't malicious but they sure didn't do a single bit of research.

I want to trust them,

* BE OPTIMISTIC! *

This means their game is so bad, they don't expect to sell so much.

So they got to profit from the extra media attention and support from linux users without wanting to spend on the obligation that got them into.Even if they give a full refund to the linux backers that doesn't repay the benefits they received.

Soon and one of these days somebody is going to file a class action suit against this kind of thing, win and set a precedent.

I will not be disappointed when this happens. Even if it means we get less crowdfunded indie games on Linux. At least you know that when the precedent is set for 'false advertising based on a crowdfunded project' you won't have people in this situation disappointed, out of pocket and having wasted their own energy with free marketing for these companies.

Because in the end no product at all is better than a lie.

I just watched the trailer and noticed the Xbox, PS4 Logos and Switch Logos ... according to their Kickstarter they did not even reached that tier but now dropping Linux support!?

This is shady...

Well to be honest there is where the purchasing power is, which also makes it so strange that games have those as stretch goals.

As nobody has yet pointed it out here as such, I'll do the obligatory mention:
Anyone who is suddenly figuring out now that it's too hard to support Linux (on a game done in Unity no less) clearly didn't think about how to make the game run well cross-platform back when they were in the planning stage (if there was a planning stage), didn't pick libraries intelligently and so forth. Now they're stuck because they couldn't be arsed to think about what they were promising back when they were promising it.


Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 30 March 2021 at 6:27 pm UTC

It will more than likely work fine in Proton.

Well yeah but its not the point is it people were worried proton would become the default i would argue it already is. Feral have smartly become a publisher using old partnerships C&A to bring out their first offering multi platform.