A lack of clarity regarding the current purpose of Red Ash‘s Kickstarter project caused backers to retreat en masse in the wake of the announcement, however, and the game is now unlikely to meet its funding goal.
Comcept announced that Chinese digital entertainment company FUZE has stepped up as Red Ash‘s publisher and primary funding source. An established producer of localized games for the Chinese market, FUZE is currently developing its own console hardware to compete with modern platforms.
Red Ash supporters soon discovered and subsequently criticized FUZE’s website for its amateurish presentation and dismissive attitude toward competing platforms. FUZE’s seemingly outdated website notes that its console platform is due to launch in June of 2015, and offers no announcement of the company’s support for Red Ash.
Red Ash‘s creators also failed to effectively repurpose the game’s Kickstarter campaign in the wake of the publishing announcement, noting that “the Kickstarter campaign is going 100% towards more content,” and warning that backer pledges should be considered “a contribution to stretch goals from here on out.”
The project’s creators subsequently updated the campaign description, explaining that backer cash will now be spent on additional in-game dungeons and playable characters.
As a result of the project’s sudden shift in focus, many fans withdrew support and cancelled their pledged funding. Crowdfunding tracker Kicktraq reports that Red Ash lost thousands of dollars in withdrawn funding over the last week – an unusual reaction, considering the degree of success the studio previously found on Kickstarter with its Mega Man successor Mighty No. 9.
Red Ash wasn’t performing to expectations prior to the publishing announcement, and Kicktraq previously predicted that the game was unlikely to meet its $800,000 funding goal within its required timeframe. Kickstarter does not collect backer cash for projects that fail to meet funding targets.
