9 Video Game Failures That Made A Mockery Of Kickstarter
2. Godus
What it is: The spiritual successor to Peter Molyneux's genre-defining god game Populous, Godus' premise is simple: cast in the role of an omnipotent being, players oversee mankind's growth from primitive beginnings all the way up to the intricacies of managing and maintaining a vast and civilized society.
Pure strategy and ambitious to boot, Godus sailed past its £450,000 funding goal and officially launched in 2014.
Why it failed: Putting aside the fact that Godus, despite its development being headed by none other than fabled (pun intended) industry veteran Peter Molyneux, took an age to reach completion, its final form lacked many of the key components - the absence of a multiplayer hub world being the biggest glaring omission - Molyneux had promised prior to release, resulting in a shallow - albeit pretty - experience that died a quick death.
Even forgiving all of the above, the biggest offense caused by Godus wasn't the game itself, but Molyneux's decision to pursue Kickstarter as a means to fund it. A financially stable industry veteran using a crowdfunding website meant for, well, the opposite of that, didn't sit well with many. Godus' lackluster reception only served to exacerbate the problem.