There is zero chance they can do refunds, that money has been spent.
Sure, but that’s not the situation here.
Let’s say instead that there was a startup with a concept car and they were doing preorders on cars that didn’t even have a prototype yet, just artists’ renderings. The concept car in the artwork looked like a Bugatti Chiron. But after years of development and setbacks, the final product as delivered was more like a Geo Metro.
Were you scammed? No, you just foolishly bought something long before you should have.
(Now, my first car was a used Geo Metro, and if you want to argue that it barely qualifies as a “car” then I might agree…)
And that would be another reason to not complete or abandon the project.
If they give up, the people who’ve bought all the imaginary ships have no recourse. There is no guarantee associated with any of this.
Incidentally, I am delighted and amused to report that the Roberts Space Industries website itself has a page on it now called “Star Citizen Is Not a Scam.”
If a business’s website has a whole page called “This Is Not a Scam,” it’s a scam.
The project doth protest too much, methinks.
That’s assuming they’re working on a final product. If your business model is selling overpriced artwork, it makes no sense to waste money on actually developing a car, right?
Sure, in which case there would be no car.
But in this case there’s a game. A shitty and far from finished game, but still a game.
Companies who are actually in the business of creating vaporware don’t put out a product, not even a shitty one.
They also don’t raise half a billion dollars.
Star Citizen is Vaporware 2.0 - they’ll make just enough of a “Potemkin game” to look plausible for investors, but they’ll never invest the time, money and work needed to produce a completed product. Why would they?
I agree. But the difference between that and Vaporware 1.0 is significant and necessary to point out.
Speaking of which (from 2018):
If I pay a fuckton of money to participate in a game involving other people, and what I get is basically an alpha version of solitare, then I haven’t been given a whisper of the rightfully expected product. It’s like paying upfront for a dream house and getting the keys to an outhouse.
Yup, it’s pretty shitty.
At least somebody has plastered a bunch of really pretty concept art on the outhouse walls.
Satire is best when it seems close to the truth (this is not true but seems like it might be):
Very solid satire piece.
It’s kind of interesting that CIG hasn’t (so far as I’m aware) adopted other predatory profit drivers like loot boxes and battle passes, though I suppose most of what they offer for sale is too big-ticket to offer in that sort of thing.
Still, seems like they could make a bundle from palette swapped uniforms and ship paint jobs. Maybe they’re worried the shine will come off the experience for their whales if they’re allowed to spend smaller dollar values.
And more to the point, those specific revenue streams are dependent on having a game which actually exists.
Maybe they can raise funds selling concept art and promissory notes for blind boxes and subscriptions.
There’s more than enough game* to sell outfits and other cosmetics, if they decided to go that route.
*For specific and generous definitions of the word.
True but I think those models depend on lots of players. Many pennies can add up.
I am not sure Star Citizen has those numbers. They don’t have the churn in the game to mint a few pennies every second. They rely on the relatively few whales.
Could it be worse than we thought?
Legatus 2953 pack seems to only be available to members at a certain tier of Star Citizen’s Chairman’s Club, one which requires spending $10,000 on other in-game items to achieve.
NB: the previous article states that club membership starts at $1K but does not mention a specific tier requirement.