Kickstarter disappointments and disasters are not uncommon in the realm of videogames–and sometimes, even when a campaign is successful and a game is released, there will still be issues with fulfilling backer promises like physical goodies and stretch goals. One such campaign experiencing these woes is Chained Echoes, a 16-bit style RPG that has received excellent reviews and a generally positive player reception. By all metrics, this game would easily go down as a Kickstarter success story–if it wasn’t for backers who purchased a physical copy of the game not getting what they bought after years of delay.
Creator Matthias Linda partnered with German limited-edition publisher First Press Games to create physical copies of Chained Echoes for for PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. While certain tiers of the Kickstarter were promised physical goodies like an artbook related to the game–which Linda sent out himself–the editions by First Press were their own thing that backers could purchase as an add-on to their pledge. Non-backers could also buy directly from the First Press Games store. As of the time of writing, the order page for Chained Echoes on First Press Games’s website is still live, with most products listed as “preorder” and editions costing anywhere from $50 USD for a basic PC/PS4/Switch edition to $354 USD for a massive collectors’ edition box.
Despite preorders having gone live in November of 2022, however, all but the basic PlayStation 4 edition of the game have yet to be shipped to backers and buyers, with complaints abound and little explanation for the lengthy delay. Buyers have become incredibly frustrated–and so has Linda, who today announced that he is planning to file a lawsuit against First Press Games and will be offering refunds to backers who bought the physical version.
“It’s been a bit over 2 years since the physical copies were supposed to be released by First Press Games and so far in 2026 nothing has arrived except the regular PlayStation 4 edition,” writes Linda in the Kickstarter update. “Because of that I had to make a decision: I am terminating my business relationship with FPG and I am preparing a lawsuit.”
While Linda can’t disclose many details of the planned lawsuit yet, he is offering either a replacement physical edition (made by a different yet-to-be-determined publisher) or a refund. However, the offer is limited to those who backed during the campaign for further legal reasons–those who purchased the game from First Press without being an original backer will still need to find some other means to recoup their funds. A timeline for refunds and replacements has not yet been provided.
Linda’s pledge to help backers has been generally well-received, even if it’s in its early stages. At least it looks like this particular Kickstarter fiasco might eventually have a somewhat okay ending.