10 Times Crowdfunded Video Games Slapped You In The Face
6. Areal
Fans of the underrated S.T.A.L.K.E.R series rejoiced as members of developer GSC Games World formed West Games, and hit up Kickstarter to crowdfund their new project which...well, looked a hell of a lot like S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
In fact, unknown to most, unused concept art and former video from that series were being used to market this new project.
To fans, it looked like a genuine 'spiritual successor' and West was able to surpass their goal of £41,152 quickly. Kickstarter soon caught on though and suspended the campaign to a halt.
Afterwards, events got odder; the Urkianan studio stated the suspension was due to them being a victim of Russian media scapegoating. Then they attempted a second crowdfunding campaign at the dodgy (and now defunct) site World Wide Funding, with the game now subtly retitled STALKER Apocalypse - that project was taken down for obvious reasons.
Unfortunately for backers, the game never materialised (neither did any proper footage) but at least the devs were unable to take the money and run.
For S.T.A.L.K.E.R fans looking for a 'successor', check out the excellent Metro series, made by vastly less shady former members of GSC.