A few weeks ago Platinum Games stated that the Kickstarter for Wonderful 101 Remastered was not necessary to fund the game’s development. But rather, the campaign was merely used to raise awareness.
Since that time we’ve been contacted by a few who pledged and shared with us just how disappointed they are with the way Platinum Games has handled the campaign for fans. The complaints have included:
- Feeling as though they were mislead with the campaign itself in multiple ways (limited release, development funding need, timeline of delivery).
- Feeling as though they are paying more for a copy of the game due to the campaign than they would have if they had just waited to pick it up at release (which they said was not clear to begin with).
- Worried about delays with international shipping.
In short, those that reached out to us wondered why they ever pledged to begin with. A follower of ours Mike, who goes by ElectricDCx on Twitter, was open to sharing his thoughts. He noted the following:
I was charged 5055 Yen for the basic game pledge but why am I now paying international shipping on a game that will be readily available everywhere?
For reference, 5055 Yen equates to roughly $47; a $7 premium over the MSRP of $39.99 in the US. Those who contacted us said that they wouldn’t have pledged if they knew the game would be widely available anyway. Mike continued:
I was willing to pay for international shipping basically because I they made it seem like it was a Limited Run-type release.
Additionally, there’s a good chance that those who pledged could actually receive their copies after the game releases locally due to the international shipping. So at the end of the day, unless you were pledging for physical items, it didn’t seem to make sense merely to receive a copy of the game.
Our Take
All in all, this hasn’t been a positive Kickstarter campaign for what seems like many supporters which is a shame as we know there’s enthusiasm for the release itself. In the future, we hope developers are more careful and selective about how they approach funding campaigns for their projects and ensure those who pledge are truly receiving something that isn’t readily available elsewhere.
