For the first time the Federal Trade Commission is going after a failed crowdfunding campaign.
“The Doom That Came to Atlantic City” launched its Kickstarter campaign in 2012 and promised an immersive board game in which players could unleash devastation on Atlantic City.
The original campaign asked for $35,000 and ultimately received a whopping $122,874 from more than 1,200 backers
After months of updates and unfulfilled promises from the developer of the game, it ultimately never materialized and the developer, after killing the project in July of 2013, claimed he planned to “refund everyone fully” but never actually did.
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The Washington Post reports that the FTC filed a complaint against the project’s creator, Erik Chevalier, this week accusing him of deceiving backers of the project, instead using the funds raised through Kickstarter on himself.
Chevalier agreed to a settlement with the FTC, where he is required to pay $111,793.71. However, it is suspended as he is unable to pay.
With the FTC now paying attention to crowdfunding, perhaps the creators of new projects will be a little more cautious about what they promise the world before putting campaigns online.
➤ Game over: FTC goes after board game Kickstarter gone wrong in first crowdfunding case [Washington Post]
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