Game development is a complicated beast, a constant challenge to get funding and for Studio Black Flag who were building the promising looking Orphan Age it's all over. A game I covered all the way back in 2018 with their Kickstarter, when the developer was confident on it having Linux support.
Speaking in a fresh announcement on Steam the developer put it very bluntly:
Dropping the nautical jargon for clarity, the last few months we’ve been going through bankruptcy procedures in France. This started when communication broke down between us and our publisher, leading to payments not continuing. Alas, with our publisher not continuing funding and no other sources of continued funding to finalize the game, the French government has elected to shut down the studio effective immediately. (Like at the end of the work day today we cannot legally continue working.)
Going by the date, they shut as of October 2nd.
To make matters worse when going through the Kickstarter they originally stressed how they "tried to work with publishers, but we never found a compromise that respected Orphan Age's DNA". Clearly they found one, but this is where it gets messier. In the FAQ at the bottom of the announcement it seems their publishing agreement handed over all of the rights of the game noting "I’m not able to get into the specifics of our contract with our publisher, but we simply do not have ownership over Orphan Age in a way that would allow us to shop it to another publisher.".
It might not be the complete end for the game since the publisher could continue it but it's now entirely out of the hands of Studio Black Flag.
Brutal, but a reminder that there's a lot of bad publisher contracts out there, where like this you hand over all your rights just to get the money. The developer has not named the publisher involved.
It's also a reminder that a lot of Kickstarter and other crowdfunding campaigns aren't nearly enough for a developer to fund a full game. Which is why a lot of them also end up with a publisher.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
RandomizedKirbyTree47 Oct 6
Quoting: EikeQuoting: RandomizedKirbyTree47Every single campaign I backed either delivered everything they promised, or is in the process of doing so and making steady progress. A few projects I backed were delayed a few years before eventually delivering the rewards. I have never been ripped off by a Kickstarter I backed.
I can say the same for my nine backings...
Quoting: RandomizedKirbyTree47I have never backed a crowdfunder for a video game and I have no plans to do so. There are so many ways it can go badly and so many already-existing games I can play that I just don't want to take the risk.
... which are all video games supporting Linux.
That's good. Maybe my worry about video game crowdfunders isn't entirely reasonable.
Quoting: EikeQuoting: RandomizedKirbyTree47Every single campaign I backed either delivered everything they promised, or is in the process of doing so and making steady progress. A few projects I backed were delayed a few years before eventually delivering the rewards. I have never been ripped off by a Kickstarter I backed.
I can say the same for my nine backings...
Quoting: RandomizedKirbyTree47I have never backed a crowdfunder for a video game and I have no plans to do so. There are so many ways it can go badly and so many already-existing games I can play that I just don't want to take the risk.
... which are all video games supporting Linux.
Wow, you must be very lucky...
Quoting: CyrilQuoting: Eike... which are all video games supporting Linux.
Wow, you must be very lucky...
For ensuring actual Linux support, I'm only backing people that have either a running Linux demo of the game or a previous game on Linux.
The other thing special about my list is probably the genre: only point and click.
But, for reference, here we go:
Reporting steady progress
* Heir of the Dog
Several previous games, including Lucy Dreaming
* Death Corp.
Author has worked on "Justin Wack and the Big Time Hack" (that's the weakest of the references)
* Roots in the Sky - The Hand of Glory 2
First game works on Linux
* Near-Mage
Makers of Gibbous
* PRIM - a 2D adventure game about Death's daughter
Had a good demo on Linux
Delivered
* Lucy Dreaming
Previous short game on Linux & working demo
* Saint Kotar - A psychological horror adventure
Working demo. They delivered the Linux version one year after the Windows version...
* The Darkside Detective: Season 2
First game ran on Linux
* The Journey Down
No sure about this one, pledged in 2017, anymore.
Quoting: Eike* The Journey Down
No sure about this one, pledged in 2017, anymore.
All three chapters were released on time, and they all ran fine for me on Linux. The last chapter came out in 2019 I think.
Quoting: tuubiQuoting: Eike* The Journey Down
No sure about this one, pledged in 2017, anymore.
All three chapters were released on time, and they all ran fine for me on Linux. The last chapter came out in 2019 I think.
I know I played and loved them, but I cannot remember anymore why I dared to make this (my very first) pledge. Did they have chapter one out already?
Quoting: EikeQuoting: tuubiQuoting: Eike* The Journey Down
No sure about this one, pledged in 2017, anymore.
All three chapters were released on time, and they all ran fine for me on Linux. The last chapter came out in 2019 I think.
I know I played and loved them, but I cannot remember anymore why I dared to make this (my very first) pledge. Did they have chapter one out already?
The Journey Down (chapter one) started out as a free AGS game. So I suppose you could say there was a demo. Although the final product looked and played a lot better.
Quoting: tuubiThe Journey Down (chapter one) started out as a free AGS game. So I suppose you could say there was a demo. Although the final product looked and played a lot better.
Ah, here it is!
This "Gaming on Linux" website again!
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2015/10/the-journey-down-on-kickstarter-funding-final-chapter-of-pointandclick-trilogy/
So two chapters were there already, and while the Kickstarter doesn't say it clear enough (read: heading), it was about the third chapter only.
Last edited by Eike on 8 October 2024 at 9:21 am UTC
Quoting: RFSharpewhat is the name of the publishing company that bought the rights to the game or studio?
I am asking for this information so I can add the publisher to my "naughty" publisher list.
The easiest way to find out would probably be to use everything public about the game to make a new game called "Orphanage" and have it put on Steam. Then it's a matter of time to see who wants to take it down.
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