10 Times Crowdfunded Video Games Slapped You In The Face

5. Clang

Clang Game
Neal Stephenson

Kickstarter is quite popular for championed game developers asking to fund a passion project of theirs. In the case of Clang, it was instead a highly-revered author, specifically Neil Stephenson.

Back in 2012, Stephenson went to Kickstarter to create a sword-fighting game unlike no other. Having been a major fan of the artistry of sword combat, and having heavily researched it, he felt it was time for it to receive a 'revolution' within the games medium, with a fighting title that took a realistic portrayal of the combat art.

His concept, named Clang, smoothly sailed over its campaign goal of $500,000. The author then worked intricately with Subutai Corporation to make his dream game happen. What could go wrong?

Unlike other entries on the list, no behind-the-scenes dramatics or shady doings occurred, simply two years later Stephenson announced that they had burned through the funds and the resulting prototype 'wasn't very fun to play'.

Then the game was axed...and that's all she wrote. I guess even he will now agree that realistic sword-fighting is plain boring in games.

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is a working dad by day and a determined gamer by night. He’s paid his dues in both the gaming and film industries, and this year his first feature film as screenwriter, the Polish slasher flick "13 Days Till Summer", played at Fantastic Fest and Sitges Film Festival.