The controversial MMORPG project “RAW” looks like GTA 5 and has caused a stir on Kickstarter, achieving significant success. However, the project was closed on Kickstarter. The developers do not want to give up. They lash out at critics and Kickstarter and are turning to new shores: A campaign on Indiegogo is supposed to fix it.
What kind of game is this? RAW is an Indie MMORPG that visually resembles GTA 5. The developers promise a whole range of impressive and ambitious features. It is heading in the direction of “sandbox in the real world” like Identity:
- You should be able to buy land and build houses on it – even entire islands should be purchasable
- Players should be able to construct buildings and businesses
- RAW is set to offer a work system that resembles real life, allowing players to earn a steady income
- There will also be a contract system for accepting jobs
- It should be possible to become a mayor
RAW takes Kickstarter – campaign is closed
Here’s how the game has fared so far: The MMORPG appeared on Kickstarter and raised a lot of money in a short time – twice as much as they initially wanted. In the end, the project was at $191,428, as reported by PC Gamer.
However, the campaign of the MMORPG was ended just before the deadline on Kickstarter. Kickstarter cited technical reasons as the explanation. The team behind RAW only wanted to raise €70,000 on Kickstarter and then secure more funds elsewhere. This is against Kickstarter’s rules.
This was the criticism of the game: The project was a subject of controversy. Players and other game developers expressed doubts that an indie studio could handle such a massive project. After all, the benchmarks like GTA 5 are true AAA games developed with massive effort by large teams.
There were even allegations of fraud due to irregularities in the imprint.
The studio was supposedly based in Fürth – where the German magazine PC Games is also located. When they visited, it led to a controversy (via PC Games): The developers wrote a nasty letter to the magazine.
MMORPG RAW wants to conduct crowdfunding via Indiegogo
Here’s the team’s current reaction: They appear to be quite robust and combative in an interview with PC Gamer:
- It is said that Kickstarter acted unprofessionally, closing the entire campaign without warning.
- Critics such as streamers and commentators had “in most cases unfortunately no idea about game development.”
The team seems confident about implementing the vision. They have already been working on the project for two and a half years, and many features are already finished.
Here’s what’s next: Currently, the team wants to put together a video that serves as a demo for RAW and then start a campaign on IndieGogo, which is a competing platform to Kickstarter.
Through the demo video, potential backers should have the chance to take a close look at the project before supporting it.
