Apparently, it is not so easy for backers to get large sums back that they invested in the Space Opus Star Citizen. In one case, consumer protection and the press have now been involved.
Star Citizen is a sci-fi mega project into which more than 170 million US dollars have been funneled through crowdfunding. Although a release still seems far off, players have the opportunity to invest plenty of money in Star Citizen: There are packages, ship sales, recently even land rights were sold.
The US site Polygon now reports on the case of a Phillip Schulz. He invested over 25,000 US dollars in Star Citizen. In September 2017, he wanted to get his money back, but 80 days later that had not yet fully happened. Schulz repeatedly exerted pressure until he ultimately contacted the press.
Several months ago, there was a similar news story that turned out to be a fake intended to harm Star Citizen. However, this case now seems to be genuine, as Polygon assures after research.
Over 25,000 US dollars invested, he wants back 24,131$
Schulz started investing in the project in 2012, gradually buying more until he ultimately left over 25,000 US dollars in the game.
However, Schulz lost faith in the project after the single-player campaign “Squadron 42” was postponed so frequently. Schulz felt that Star Citizen was making too little progress in the game itself. Therefore, he has been trying to get his money back since September 2017, but apparently that is not so easy.
He has already written off part of the money because it went into in-game currency or subscriptions. But he wants the rest of the money back.
He has calculated that he is entitled to a refund of 24,131 US dollars and 83 cents.
Do they really want to miss the opportunity to participate in this unique project?
Polygon traces a months-long conflict between Schulz and the company behind Star Citizen. Schulz has reportedly been reassured multiple times that a refund is a complicated process, after all, they are writing history with the model at Star Citizen.
Polygon quotes the statement given to the backer when he wanted his money back: “You are part of a rare and unique development process and we want you to know how much we value your involvement in the project … We will happily refund you your money if you wish, but I want to ensure that you understand what you will miss if you decide to proceed with your demand.“
In response to Polygon, the company remains tight-lipped: refunds are a discreet process decided on a case-by-case basis. They handle them confidentially.
After about two months, Schulz had enough and involved a form of consumer protection to emphasize his pressure.
At Star Citizen, they claimed that Schulz’s account was a complex case, they only had a small team and were doing their best to accommodate the requests. There was no need for the situation to escalate.
After the press got involved, a large part of the money flowed back
In late November, Schulz received a fraction of the money back, about 1595 US dollars. After that, Schulz apparently wanted the situation to escalate. He turned to the large US gaming site Polygon, which then reportedly exerted some pressure as well.
Now, one of the highest figures at Star Citizen intervened and replaced the case handler. After that, a large sum was transferred to Schulz. On December 10, Schulz received approximately 17,200 US dollars back. However, that is still not enough for Schulz, he wants the rest of the money or at least a clear arrangement. He is tired of waiting, wants to conclude the story, get clear information, and then move on with his life.
Polygon mentions that they are also aware of another account that invested 16,700 US dollars in Star Citizen. That person has also been trying to get their money back for months – still without success.
In the community, the case is, as often, received in a divided manner:
- On Polygon itself, readers are shocked at the amounts involved, and they view Star Citizen skeptically
- In the developer-friendly subreddit of Star Citizen, fans consider the mainstream press reporting to be biased, refunds are difficult also due to the gray market. Those who invest so much money in Star Citizen should be more certain about their investment.
Currently, Star Citizen is involved in a legal dispute:
