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@ragingslowly
To that other anon, you are showing the exact problem that the creator has made herself with a toxic environment. She encourages that sort of behavior to shit on people who have put trust and paid for a service. They're allowed to call out that person and company for their messed up work ethics, welcome to reality.
This. Everything that’s happening is a direct response to the studio’s behavior.
You are truly petty. How much did you honestly spend? The amount of energy you put to this crap could be spend elsewhere. Congrats on wasting energy on being bitter. 👌
And you, dear anon, are pretty cowardly for coming to me on anon and acting like your basic internet troll.
I don’t see anything petty in trying to get my money back from people who turned out to be scammers. You, on the other hand, seem to have no respect for other people’s money and that’s atrocious, imo.
And I don’t mind sharing information, including the amount of money I wasted on this particular studios, - but I do request a civil conversation in return. You have three options:
a) you are being civil on anon and ask your questions without trying to bait me;
b) if you are so set on confrontation - come to me on your main, like I did when I was disputing with @aeondreamstudios ;
c) those above are basic human decency and if you can’t manage even that then it’s pretty obvious you are not actually interested in getting any answers and just came here to troll and bait - you are, plain and simple, not worthy of engaging.
Next anon message in such manner will go directly into a trash bin.
Man, you are really childish. Grow up already...
Come off anon and then we’ll talk^^
Kickstarter funds are not donations, because there’s an expectation of getting something in return.
Kickstarters states that all funds raised in the US are considered income. So no, it is NOT a donation.
https://www.kickstarter.com/help/taxes
In general, in the US, funds raised on Kickstarter are considered income.
[…]
Beyond deductions, a creator may be able to classify certain funds raised on Kickstarter as a nontaxable gift, and not income. A gift is something given out of “detached and disinterested generosity” for personal reasons and without the expectation of getting something in return.
_______________
You’ve breached the contract already on Kickstarter with your backers (which includes me) by misrepresenting the nature of the final project, which was initially to be a full game. You later changed this (without given cause) to a release in parts, with the inclusion of ‘indefinite DLC" which is not the format originally promised.
There are some big changes going on this month! I am expecting the end of the budgetary hiatus this month, which means we’re looking at two big releases upcoming: what I am currently calling Mystic Destinies: Echoes: Part 1, for Kickstarter backers, and To the Edge of the Sky: Chapter 04, and Four’s POV story for everyone.
I have decided that with all of the changes that have occurred, I will be giving Mystic Destinies: Echoes indefinite DLC. This will come free to backers who have not been refunded by the time of release. There were so many great ideas and extra content that gathered through the years as the project changed writers, that unfortunately could not be used for the main game.
https://www.aeondreamstudios.com/news/2019/4/4/end-of-budgetary-hiatus-more-april-4-2019-monthly-news
I don’t care if it’s free or not for me since I backed it, that was not part of the format originally promised that I agreed and paid for. I am within my right to demand a refund from you regardless of what you think and say.
_______________
December 7th 2017, you offered refunds to backers.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/mystic-destinies-echoes-the-dark-epic-visual-novel/posts/2065337
Then there was the January 2018 announcement.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/mystic-destinies-echoes-the-dark-epic-visual-novel/posts/2084514 (public for January; screenshot shown below)
I chose to not get a refund at that time since I believed in the honesty. I no longer believe in the honesty which was on my own research on both sides at the time. I no longer want the game and just want a refund way before the demo was even posted/released.
I’m sick of being painted an “antifan” all because I don’t put up with how you’ve treated your fans, backers, employees, and people throughout this whole ordeal.
Kickstarter also does not establish time limitations on refunds nor does it grant this ability to creators. The attempt to establish a time limit has no legal basis. The T.O.S of Kickstarter states that they should be granted until there is no money left. If no money is left, then the creator needs to give information on how the money was spent, you cannot refuse this.
If the problems are severe enough that the creator can’t fulfill their project, creators need to find a resolution. Steps should include offering refunds, detailing exactly how funds were used, and other actions to satisfy backers. For more information, see Section 4 of our Terms of Use.
https://help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005028814-What-should-creators-do-if-they-re-having-problems-completing-their-project-
If a creator is unable to complete their project and fulfill rewards, they’ve failed to live up to the basic obligations of this agreement. To right this, they must make every reasonable effort to find another way of bringing the project to the best possible conclusion for backers. A creator in this position has only remedied the situation and met their obligations to backers if:
they post an update that explains what work has been done, how funds were used, and what prevents them from finishing the project as planned;
they work diligently and in good faith to bring the project to the best possible conclusion in a timeframe that’s communicated to backers;
they’re able to demonstrate that they’ve used funds appropriately and made every reasonable effort to complete the project as promised;
they’ve been honest, and have made no material misrepresentations in their communication to backers; and
they offer to return any remaining funds to backers who have not received their reward (in proportion to the amounts pledged), or else explain how those funds will be used to complete the project in some alternate form.
https://www.kickstarter.com/terms-of-use
Section 4 (light blue box)
________________
FTC states that you simply cannot refuse this refund to those who chose the tiers with physical rewards due to FTC order https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2014/09/17/2014-22092/mail-or-telephone-order-merchandise-rule
________________
I’ve already sent a complaint to the FTC and the BBB. This was before you announced a blog update with a link to them saying you would respond to them. Why haven’t you responded? It should’ve still been in the email.
You didn’t bother to respond to BBB’s which was up to a MONTH of time to do so.
The complaint I made is still there live with a mark of “unanswered”. https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/orlando/profile/video-game-manufacturers/aeon-dream-studios-llc-0733-90645976/complaints#221206232
______________________
80% was stated to be done in October 2018 for Echoes.
We are going to take the necessary time to complete and finish Echoes. Many delays came up with that team, and I cannot predict a release date fully beyond before the end of this year. But the project is about 80% finished.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/mystic-destinies-echoes-the-dark-epic-visual-novel/posts/2323496 (can be seen publicly)
(copy pasted link to the blog update https://www.aeondreamstudios.com/news/2018/10/20/aeon-dream-studios-news-saturday-october-20-2018 )
______________
Backers are allowed to ask for updates.
It’s not uncommon for things to take longer than expected. Sometimes the execution of the project proves more difficult than the creator had anticipated. If a creator is making a good faith effort to complete their project and is transparent about it, backers should do their best to be patient and understanding while demanding continued accountability from the creator.
https://help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005028814-What-should-creators-do-if-they-re-having-problems-completing-their-project- (also here)
Communication went down the drain after a while and even now. No update in sight of the Kickstarter since February 2019.
It is your responsibility to update backers, since the T.O.S states for backers to check on the site for updates. Open and honest communication in good faith does not equal to not posting on Kickstarter and only posting elsewhere on the company’s blog and social media.
You don’t have to show spoilers, just update with at least some progression on Kickstarter. For example: “___ route was worked on in art while the writing is now complete.”
_______________
You brought up of how refunds would’ve been a possible solution in a January 2019 blog update.
(I’ve deleted some parts of the paragraph to focus on the refund area, the other part can be read in the source. I am just cutting it to the point.)
I thought of the possibility of course, of hanging it up, working on providing refunds to people (what, you REALLY thought we were so dishonorable as not to do that?) but ultimately, I still love making games and I have learned so much in every single one of my roles here, I know I can do better.
https://www.aeondreamstudios.com/news/2019/1/27/developer-personal-blog-looking-back-on-the-past-and-ahead-to-the-future
After reading that update, I thought “Oh I think they’ll refund me since I didn’t get one before.” I got a “no” back, saying they were donations…
I didn’t want and STILL do NOT want the game because it’s no longer what it is promised, I want a refund.
Again, I am WITHIN my right to DEMAND this regardless of what you think or decide upon due to Kickstarter’s T.O.S.
_______________
You’ve stated that TTEOTS helped with funds while MD simply didn’t make you enough money yet.
If you want to get real, as grateful as we are for the MD community believing in us, MD simply doesn’t make much money yet, and we’d be homeless and starving by now if we hadn’t released TTEOTS.
https://www.aeondreamstudios.com/news/2018/10/28/dev-personal-blog-thoughts-on-the-mystic-destinies-echoes-discontent
Was this why TTEOTS was made or not? Please answer.
TTEOTS was also promised to be focused AFTER Mystic Destinies: Serendipity of Aeons and Echoes were completed.
This was said in multiple areas, but not limited to: In comments of SoA Deluxe Kickstarter, updates of Echoes, and the two TTEOTS (original and reloaded) Kickstarters underneath area of Risks and Challenges.
The highest backer of MD: SoA also did not choose TTEOTS as stated by her on Twitter since she was given no list to choose from (sourced below with permission).
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/mystic-destinies-serendipity-of-aeons-deluxe-editi/comments
Found on both TTEOTS Kickstarter descriptions.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/to-the-edge-of-the-sky-reloaded/description
and
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/to-the-edge-of-the-sky-a-fanmade-bts-inspired-visu?ref=profile_created
Found on SoA https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/mystic-destinies-serendipity-of-aeons-deluxe-editi/comments
To see the highest backer’s statement, go here https://twitter.com/Aussie_Hikki/status/1090249574659219457
_______________
Failure of Delivery or Refunds issued in Court involving Kickstarter/Crowdfunding
https://www.polygon.com/2014/5/2/5675834/washington-sues-card-game-developer-for-failing-to-deliver-on
https://www.polygon.com/2015/9/11/9310945/kickstarter-court-victory-attorney-general-washington-asylum-playing-cards
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2015/06/crowdfunding-project-creator-settles-ftc-charges-deception
________________
Show your proof as I have, in spite of how frustrated and angry I am - all for a refund that you refuse to give me. Just because I haven’t taken you to court doesn’t mean it’s false. Your spin that my vocal complaints mean I want you to be destroyed is also not the case at all.
I just want my refund so I can be done with this and move on. I will not take this post down since these are all facts laid out civilly with sufficient evidence.
It’s not us, backers, who created this toxic, ridiculous situation. It’s all on you, @aeondreamstudios, and your attempt to threaten us with law is laughable considering you’ve been neglecting all of your Kickstarter responsibilities. I stand by everything I ever said on this situation, which is: answer our questions on where funds went and give refunds to those who want them (like I do) so that we can all move on.
The Aeon Dream Studios Mess masterlist
Links to Reddit (original posts):
The Aeon Dream Studios mess
A Mystic Destinies: Echoes Fiasko or how not to Kickstarter a project
[Otome Games/BTS] Indie devs enrage fans of their crowdfunded games with a censorship controversy, years of broken promises and delays, & legal troubles on a BTS fan game
Mystic Destinies: Echoes Fiasco or how not to Kickstarter a project: UPDATE
[Mystic Destinies/TTEOTS] An Update on Aeon Dream Studios - hiatus, founder leaving, allegations of emotional abuse and non-payment by a former employee, + more
Links to rebloggable tumblr posts:
The Aeon Dream Studios mess
A Mystic Destinies: Echoes Fiasko or how not to Kickstarter a project
[Otome Games/BTS] Indie devs enrage fans of their crowdfunded games with a censorship controversy, years of broken promises and delays, & legal troubles on a BTS fan game
Mystic Destinies: Echoes Fiasco or how not to Kickstarter a project: UPDATE
[Mystic Destinies/TTEOTS] An Update on Aeon Dream Studios - hiatus, founder leaving, allegations of emotional abuse and non-payment by a former employee, + more
Hi there shabby, check out argentvulpine's twitter. She's been nothing but professional towards them telling them what the real issue was (she's also a backer). One of the devs ending up blocking her.
Hola!
I was reading her threads earlier, but I had no idea she got blocked. That’s not… I don’t… What…???
If I remember correctly, that’s the staff member who was picked up to write for Echoes? The same person who was previously a fan and helped ADS promote TTEOTS at BTS concerts and all that?
Did… did no one ever tell her that’s not how you handle public social media communication?
Also, there’s a list of blocked Kickstarter backers???? I’m sorry, WHAT??????
I am one of the many unhappy customers being blocked.
Great customer service A+
WAIT WAIT WAIT HOLD UP
AND THEY BLOCKED YOU????????????
WHAT THE EVER LOVING-
Yep, that would be me. Giving them USD$2k of my money Why on earth would I possibly be upset after 2 years of delays, no updates and them working on other projects. And when I start voicing my upset finally I get blocked.
I
WHAT
I’M SERIOUSLY TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THIS
YOU’RE TECHNICALLY SUPPOSED TO BE PRIORITY
PART OF YOUR PLEDGE IS STUFF THAT GOES INTO THE GAME ITSELF
THEY WERE “80% FINISHED” WITH THE GAME IN OCTOBER AND ???????
HOW THE FRICK
THIS IS NOT OKAY
Yeah, funny thing that. Treating your highest backer like a nuisance.
SUPPOSED TO BE A PRIORITY
Yes, that was supposed to be a thing.
I wish that I’d given the money to someone more deserving, who didn’t betray the trust that I’d shown in giving them USD$2k. I am not rich by any means and that is almost AUD$3k. And I have nothing to show for it currently.
And now they’re trying to say it was a DONATION.
Mystic Destinies: Echoes Fiasco or how not to Kickstarter a project: UPDATE
Previous post
As of Friday 18.01.2019 Aeon Dream Studios are on a long-time-in-the-making hiatus. Something that was proposed to them repeatedly over the last year (by many people, me one of them).
There’s so much that happened since the post I made in the end of October, but at the same time it feels frustratingly little.
As devs promised in their last Kickstarter update, they never showed up on the site again. The only source of information from them, up to this date, remains to be their official website and their twitter.
After October update ADS twitter produced lots of information on TTEOTS and, as it could be expected, not a word on Echoes. The closest we got to hear about it was a personal blog post created by ADS leader, Ajané, on 18.12.2018, who explained that she is no longer able to be productive due to one of BTS members’ injury.
Almost a week later we got an official ‘update’ were, to my frustration, more delays were announced. And while delays came to no one’s surprise, what came as an unpleasant shock were the attempts of Ajané to put it all on Echoes creative team. The newbies that she chose and appointed herself. The people with genuine interest in the project who wanted to help make it come to life and who now were thrown under the bus.
For every ‘update’ there was a commotion on steam forums, where you can check for more input of people other than me.
After the Christmas update devs twitter went seemingly quite. The only things posted were related to some troubles within the BTS (forgive me for not delving into that one as I am not a fan of the band). So nowhere on social media where fans notified that the studios finally went on the hiatus.
To me, this speaks of cowardice. Of her (yes, her, Ajané, as the one who’s in charge and, in my opinion, the one responsible for the whole mess) being afraid to face another backlash for her actions. Of her hoping that if she avoids and ignores the problems long enough, everyone will forget about them too.
Well, I, for one, sure am not gonna let it go that easy :D
I don’t want this be swept under the rug.
I know I am not the only one hurt and pissed off by this situation.
On the last post I made I was asked what do I want from ADS. I answered - I want acknowledgment. I still do. I may not get my money back. I certainly will not get the product I payed for - and it does not matter if the game will actually be released or not. But I don’t want for this to go unnoticed since it would mean ADS got off the hook - with backers money and zero regrets. And I despise the very thought of that. Just because they are indie devs does not mean we should close our eyes on their behavior.
So I, in turn, want to ask a question of my own. What can be done? I’m not asking for a witch hunt but I do want to spread the word. Mostly, on twitter, since it seems to be the only platform used by the studios to communicate with people.
I’ll be grateful for any input.
A Mystic Destinies: Echoes Fiasco or how not to Kickstarter a project
Aeon Dream Studios are a fairly known OELVN developer whose very first project, Mystic Destinies: Serendipity Of Aeons (MDSOA), had beautiful unique art style and interesting premise and was, overall, quite a success. If you look at the devs’ social media now you’ll find them working on a new shiny project - To The Edge Of The Sky (TTEOTS), a game which characters were initially based on famous k-pop band BTS. The game quickly gathered a big following, there’s lots of hype from both the fans and the devs about it with the game gaining constant updates as it is released by chapters. The only thing you won’t see being mentioned is how they were promising to finish their second game - Mystic Destinies: Echoes (MDE), a sequel to MDSOA - before working on their ~BTS project.
There would be no questions asked if they were just contemplating doing that and simply could not - life happens, after all. The problem is that the devs held two successful kickstarters for it, resulting in total more than 21000$ collected. One KS was for the MDSOA deluxe edition to help finish the main game, with Echoes being one of the stretch goals (13062$ pledged); the other KS was dedicated solely to the sequel (8033$ pledged). The estimated release date was approximately June 2017 as the devs claimed they could finish the second game in about three months:
I’ve lost count to how many times the game was delayed by this point. In July 2017, almost five months after KS, it became apparent that the game was being pushed back as the studios had no news on a release date. In the update from August 25, 2017 the devs stated that they’re planning the release by the end of September 2017. Personally, I was alright with that. It seemed like a reasonable delay and at that time they were still evidently working on the game, answering asks on the game on their tumblr and sharing tidbits of the story with us bakers.
In September 2017 came big news: their lead artist was leaving the studios and one of the devs was affected by hurricane Irma. That meant further push back - upsetting but quite understandable. New schedule was October 2017 for the MDSOA deluxe edition and November 2017 for the MDE. This is also the first update where TTEOTS was mentioned.
In mid-October an update came out stating that they’ve found a new artist and that their release dates did not change - game was still set to release in November. That is also when the devs claimed that the MDE will be released before TTEOTS.
November was spent in silence on the devs’ side until they posted a new update and promised both of the games out in December, blaming the absence of their programmer and Steam’s new procedures for the delay.
December 7, 2017, less than two weeks from the previous update, came as a shock as we were told that the game is being delayed with no set release date this time. I was extremely disappointed but tried to be understanding at the same time - the studios acknowledged they had a problem. Not having a certain release date this time around came as a relieve as constant push backs with no clarification were starting to make backers worried. I believe this is one of the first updates that caused an uproar - the devs also announced that the whole MDE game would now contain ~10 hours of gameplay as opposed to 15-25 hours we were promised during the KS campaign. They offered a refund to anyone who wanted it to which we could apply until January. I’ve decided against it at that time. On one of the screenshots below you can see my very first KS comment, which I posted to the December update:
A month later, on January 5, 2018, a new update with a new delay came. Now the developers were stating that the game was going to be out by the end of January and that if we wanted a refund we had time until February to apply. This one update was rather lengthy, telling us how the devs were only human and were still learning to manage their projects (while also stating that their work on MDSOA proves they can do a good work and finish a big project).
Obviously, people were upset with this delay. To which the studios issued an additional update on what is the proper way to treat them. Asking us to be polite and behave correctly and telling us how they reserve the right to refuse us service if they find our behavior improper. While I do understand the sentiment, this update was rather confusing and seemed out of place as at least their KS common section stayed civil. I admit I felt a little attacked for displaying my concerns so I’ve decided to stay out of this. Since then I was trying not to comment and muted the devs’ tumblr page as all they were posting about at the time was TTEOTS anyway.
Unsurprisingly, the game did not come out in January. It did not come out in February, either. Actually, February updates did not contain any information regarding MDE at all. But we were finally sent MDSOA deluxe edition steam keys - that was a six month delay for those who wanted to get the game through Kickstarter as the last MDSOA route was released on July 8, 2017. Those backers that did not want to get the game twice had to wait from July to February to finally be able to play it. Being one of those backers (I only had bought three routes out of five by the time the devs initiated those Kickstarters), I found myself baffled. My understanding of KS was that the backers usually get the stuff they’ve pledged for earlier than those who did not, but, obviously, it was not the case with this one.
March 1, 2018 update was almost the same as usual - the studios artist had health problems so the release of TTEOTS chapter 01 in March was impossible. No, I am not mistaken. Yes, they were informing us of the delay of their completely unrelated project. There was no word about Echoes until the very last sentence of the update.
On April 17, 2018 the studios finally decided to inform us that they’ve hired a new writer for MDE. In February. A fan, who, according to the information on the studios web-site, “has continuously offered us unwavering support, love and good energy. During the time when we just started creating TTEOTS she was one of the people who volunteered her time to help us spread the word and even helped out with handing out TTEOTS promo cards during BTS concerts.” I believe this one requires no comments as I was speechless when this particular update rolled out.
The next update was issued on June 30, 2018, stating the game was now planned for release in September 2018.
I admit I was doubtful after the previous update but during August the studios released a bunch of updates on Echoes story, art and GUI so I was beginning to feel hopeful again. ‘Finally!’ I thought. ‘They are finally fulfilling their promises and we all will be able to move forward’. But if everything was so easy you would not be reading this very post right now.
Game did not come out in September. Actually, nothing came out on Kickstarter in September. Apparently, the devs took a hiatus and the game was delayed again and the only reason I knew about it is because one of the people I follow on tumblr reblogged the link to the studios site update (https://www.aeondreamstudios.com/news/2018/9/21). This was the moment when my patience snapped. I’ve commented on Kickstarter comments section, asking for update. I’ve sent them a private message. None of those were answered.
As it stands now, on October 23, 2018 the devs issued a link to their official web-site as a KS ‘update’ were they stated that the game is being delayed. Again. Below you can see the screenshots of this update, extracts from the web-site update and my response to it all on Kickstarter:
To my relief, I was not the only one disappointed. The response this October update received was the most vocal I saw during the whole campaign. Until yesterday, October 29, 2018, the studios did not issue a new post. Which is too long and frustrating but, thankfully, not restricted to backers only, for now. So here’s the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/mystic-destinies-echoes-the-dark-epic-visual-novel/posts/2328034 .
I know shit happens in life. I can understand the need to delay. What I can’t, refuse to understand or accept is shifting blame. You can’t state you are a professional and then whine that people are demanding the stuff they’ve paid for. You can’t ask for understanding but share no information for people to realize you actually need one. You can’t demand respect and then throw accusations and threats at the very people you ask it from.You can’t ignore all the attempts to contact you and then accuse people for problems with communication. For someone who claims to be blunt and honest, Aeon Dream Studios leader does not know how to handle critique very well.
I consider my response to all of this disgrace justified. Yesterday, October 29, 2018, I reported the game to the Kickstarter services. I won’t let people use my kindness and resources only to blame me and use me as an excuse for their own wrongdoings anymore. If they can’t have a civil discussion with their fans then I won’t try to reach them on my own any longer. So, I’m reaching out to the other fans instead. I really want more people to talk about this.
My original reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/otomegames/comments/9s85vx/a_mystic_destinies_echoes_fiasko_or_how_not_to/; Mystic Destinies: Echoes Kickstarter updates: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/mystic-destinies-echoes-the-dark-epic-visual-novel/updates; Comments: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/mystic-destinies-echoes-the-dark-epic-visual-novel/comments; Mystic Destinies: Serendipity Of Aeons Kickstarter updates: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/mystic-destinies-serendipity-of-aeons-deluxe-editi/updates; Comments: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/mystic-destinies-serendipity-of-aeons-deluxe-editi/comments; Aeon Dream Studios blog: https://www.aeondreamstudios.com/news/; Twitter post: https://twitter.com/yalithesloth/status/1056970586013003776?s=21;
Yet another scuttled Kickstarter…
OP had an update a few days ago on Reddit found here.
I kinda also want to add more to the tea and remind everyone way back when “Aeon Dreams Studios” was still called “Star Maiden Games” and how they ruined a couple of Youtubers’ revenue and credibility by putting in copyright claims for every bad review they found on Youtube, leading to those Youtubers’ income becoming suspended. Mind you, this was when beginners/small timers could still gather a few bucks from there.
At that time there were huge Youtube debates on copyright strikes and Fair Use and they were one of the many studios that put in false claims to bad reviews; their downfall was being one of the few -if not the only- visual novel studios to do so.
I suspect the bad rep ultimately made the studio change their name to Aeon Dreams Studios for rebranding purposes. Sad to see not a lot has changed.
Thank you for putting the link up! I was just editing my reddit update when I saw your reblog, gonna post it as a separate post here on tumblr too.
I completely forgot about this YouTube incident tbh. Looking back now it was such a major red flag. Shame, I was so in awe with the developer at the time - with their communication, with their thoutfulness on the game universe and the lore - that I completely ignored the signs. And I think you are right - rebranding seemed so bizarre at the time they were going through with it but now it kinda makes sense.
A Mystic Destinies: Echoes Fiasco or how not to Kickstarter a project
Aeon Dream Studios are a fairly known OELVN developer whose very first project, Mystic Destinies: Serendipity Of Aeons (MDSOA), had beautiful unique art style and interesting premise and was, overall, quite a success. If you look at the devs’ social media now you’ll find them working on a new shiny project - To The Edge Of The Sky (TTEOTS), a game which characters were initially based on famous k-pop band BTS. The game quickly gathered a big following, there’s lots of hype from both the fans and the devs about it with the game gaining constant updates as it is released by chapters. The only thing you won’t see being mentioned is how they were promising to finish their second game - Mystic Destinies: Echoes (MDE), a sequel to MDSOA - before working on their ~BTS project.
There would be no questions asked if they were just contemplating doing that and simply could not - life happens, after all. The problem is that the devs held two successful kickstarters for it, resulting in total more than 21000$ collected. One KS was for the MDSOA deluxe edition to help finish the main game, with Echoes being one of the stretch goals (13062$ pledged); the other KS was dedicated solely to the sequel (8033$ pledged). The estimated release date was approximately June 2017 as the devs claimed they could finish the second game in about three months:
I’ve lost count to how many times the game was delayed by this point. In July 2017, almost five months after KS, it became apparent that the game was being pushed back as the studios had no news on a release date. In the update from August 25, 2017 the devs stated that they’re planning the release by the end of September 2017. Personally, I was alright with that. It seemed like a reasonable delay and at that time they were still evidently working on the game, answering asks on the game on their tumblr and sharing tidbits of the story with us bakers.
In September 2017 came big news: their lead artist was leaving the studios and one of the devs was affected by hurricane Irma. That meant further push back - upsetting but quite understandable. New schedule was October 2017 for the MDSOA deluxe edition and November 2017 for the MDE. This is also the first update where TTEOTS was mentioned.
In mid-October an update came out stating that they’ve found a new artist and that their release dates did not change - game was still set to release in November. That is also when the devs claimed that the MDE will be released before TTEOTS.
November was spent in silence on the devs’ side until they posted a new update and promised both of the games out in December, blaming the absence of their programmer and Steam’s new procedures for the delay.
December 7, 2017, less than two weeks from the previous update, came as a shock as we were told that the game is being delayed with no set release date this time. I was extremely disappointed but tried to be understanding at the same time - the studios acknowledged they had a problem. Not having a certain release date this time around came as a relieve as constant push backs with no clarification were starting to make backers worried. I believe this is one of the first updates that caused an uproar - the devs also announced that the whole MDE game would now contain ~10 hours of gameplay as opposed to 15-25 hours we were promised during the KS campaign. They offered a refund to anyone who wanted it to which we could apply until January. I’ve decided against it at that time. On one of the screenshots below you can see my very first KS comment, which I posted to the December update:
A month later, on January 5, 2018, a new update with a new delay came. Now the developers were stating that the game was going to be out by the end of January and that if we wanted a refund we had time until February to apply. This one update was rather lengthy, telling us how the devs were only human and were still learning to manage their projects (while also stating that their work on MDSOA proves they can do a good work and finish a big project).
Obviously, people were upset with this delay. To which the studios issued an additional update on what is the proper way to treat them. Asking us to be polite and behave correctly and telling us how they reserve the right to refuse us service if they find our behavior improper. While I do understand the sentiment, this update was rather confusing and seemed out of place as at least their KS common section stayed civil. I admit I felt a little attacked for displaying my concerns so I’ve decided to stay out of this. Since then I was trying not to comment and muted the devs’ tumblr page as all they were posting about at the time was TTEOTS anyway.
Unsurprisingly, the game did not come out in January. It did not come out in February, either. Actually, February updates did not contain any information regarding MDE at all. But we were finally sent MDSOA deluxe edition steam keys - that was a six month delay for those who wanted to get the game through Kickstarter as the last MDSOA route was released on July 8, 2017. Those backers that did not want to get the game twice had to wait from July to February to finally be able to play it. Being one of those backers (I only had bought three routes out of five by the time the devs initiated those Kickstarters), I found myself baffled. My understanding of KS was that the backers usually get the stuff they’ve pledged for earlier than those who did not, but, obviously, it was not the case with this one.
March 1, 2018 update was almost the same as usual - the studios artist had health problems so the release of TTEOTS chapter 01 in March was impossible. No, I am not mistaken. Yes, they were informing us of the delay of their completely unrelated project. There was no word about Echoes until the very last sentence of the update.
On April 17, 2018 the studios finally decided to inform us that they’ve hired a new writer for MDE. In February. A fan, who, according to the information on the studios web-site, “has continuously offered us unwavering support, love and good energy. During the time when we just started creating TTEOTS she was one of the people who volunteered her time to help us spread the word and even helped out with handing out TTEOTS promo cards during BTS concerts.” I believe this one requires no comments as I was speechless when this particular update rolled out.
The next update was issued on June 30, 2018, stating the game was now planned for release in September 2018.
I admit I was doubtful after the previous update but during August the studios released a bunch of updates on Echoes story, art and GUI so I was beginning to feel hopeful again. ‘Finally!’ I thought. ‘They are finally fulfilling their promises and we all will be able to move forward’. But if everything was so easy you would not be reading this very post right now.
Game did not come out in September. Actually, nothing came out on Kickstarter in September. Apparently, the devs took a hiatus and the game was delayed again and the only reason I knew about it is because one of the people I follow on tumblr reblogged the link to the studios site update (https://www.aeondreamstudios.com/news/2018/9/21). This was the moment when my patience snapped. I’ve commented on Kickstarter comments section, asking for update. I’ve sent them a private message. None of those were answered.
As it stands now, on October 23, 2018 the devs issued a link to their official web-site as a KS ‘update’ were they stated that the game is being delayed. Again. Below you can see the screenshots of this update, extracts from the web-site update and my response to it all on Kickstarter:
To my relief, I was not the only one disappointed. The response this October update received was the most vocal I saw during the whole campaign. Until yesterday, October 29, 2018, the studios did not issue a new post. Which is too long and frustrating but, thankfully, not restricted to backers only, for now. So here’s the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/mystic-destinies-echoes-the-dark-epic-visual-novel/posts/2328034 .
I know shit happens in life. I can understand the need to delay. What I can’t, refuse to understand or accept is shifting blame. You can’t state you are a professional and then whine that people are demanding the stuff they’ve paid for. You can’t ask for understanding but share no information for people to realize you actually need one. You can’t demand respect and then throw accusations and threats at the very people you ask it from.You can’t ignore all the attempts to contact you and then accuse people for problems with communication. For someone who claims to be blunt and honest, Aeon Dream Studios leader does not know how to handle critique very well.
I consider my response to all of this disgrace justified. Yesterday, October 29, 2018, I reported the game to the Kickstarter services. I won’t let people use my kindness and resources only to blame me and use me as an excuse for their own wrongdoings anymore. If they can’t have a civil discussion with their fans then I won’t try to reach them on my own any longer. So, I’m reaching out to the other fans instead. I really want more people to talk about this.
My original reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/otomegames/comments/9s85vx/a_mystic_destinies_echoes_fiasko_or_how_not_to/; Mystic Destinies: Echoes Kickstarter updates: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/mystic-destinies-echoes-the-dark-epic-visual-novel/updates; Comments: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/mystic-destinies-echoes-the-dark-epic-visual-novel/comments; Mystic Destinies: Serendipity Of Aeons Kickstarter updates: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/mystic-destinies-serendipity-of-aeons-deluxe-editi/updates; Comments: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeondreamstudios/mystic-destinies-serendipity-of-aeons-deluxe-editi/comments; Aeon Dream Studios blog: https://www.aeondreamstudios.com/news/; Twitter post: https://twitter.com/yalithesloth/status/1056970586013003776?s=21;
