Bear Simulator Dev Calls it Quits to "Avoid Drama"

[Steven Bogos]

Bear Simulator Dev Calls it Quits to "Avoid Drama"

//cdn.themis-media.com/media/global/images/library/deriv/1292/1292795.jpg
Bear Simulator's developer John Farjay has announced he will no longer be updating the game.

a bit of interest [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/bear%20simulator] when first announced, and asked for a humble $30,000. It more than tripled that goal, raising $100,000 and causing developer John Farjay to promise some pretty lofty stretch goals. It now looks like those stretch goals will never see the light of day, as Farjay has cancelled development of the game entirely, due to "drama".

"Well the game didn't have a great reception, has a stigma against it's name and there's plenty of other problems so making any updates or going further is basically a lost cause now," wrote Farjay on the game's Kickstarter page [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1330754003/bear-simulator/posts/1510978]. "Also don't want to deal with the drama anymore. Can't ignore it because that causes more drama and can't do anything about it because that causes more drama," he added.

The game's final update will include a "Kickstarter Island" area for backers, and fix some bugs. "Must be doing this PC game dev thing wrong because it is way too hard to stay happy and productive," lamented Farjay.

[gallery=5906]

Bear Simulator was released to a fairly mediocre reception, and is generally regarded to not be a great game, but it is a shame that the negativity has crushed Farjay's spirit. We do hope he tries again some time in the future!

The game is currently available on Steam for $14.99 [http://store.steampowered.com/app/395850] if you are interested in checking it out.

Source: Kickstarter [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1330754003/bear-simulator/posts/1510978]

Permalink

 

[fluxy100]

So the guy put the game out for about a week, decided it didn't do well enough and wrote it off as a loss? Whats this guy doing in the indie scene, with a reaction like that he should be in AAA game development.

In all seriousness this just sounds like an easy way for the guy to cut ties and run off with the kick starter money.

 

[frizzlebyte]

So the guy put the game out for about a week, decided it didn't do well enough and wrote it off as a loss? Whats this guy doing in the indie scene, with a reaction like that he should be in AAA game development.

In all seriousness this just sounds like an easy way for the guy to cut ties and run off with the kick starter money.

Well, to be honest, I think a lot of people assume that they will always have the Next Great Idea, and when it flops, they take it personally and run the other way. I can understand that impulse, as any creative endeavour will have your spirit indelibly linked to the final product, but the job of the creator is to have the thickness of skin required to handle negativity and persevere through it anyway to learn from that experience and create a better one next time.

Kickstarter is great for people who can do that, but it also tends to attract people who simply don't have that level of fortitude, and it's the backers (and the platform as a whole, really) who suffers when it does.

 

[MortalKomic]

Wowzers, I guess Jim Sterling will have a fucking field day with this. Also, "Bear Simulator was released to a fairly mediocre reception, and is generally regarded to not be a great game, but it is a shame that the negativity has crushed Farjay's spirit. We do hope he tries again some time in the future!" A shame he called it quits after taking 100,000 dollars in backing and Steam Early Access sales? Hopefully he comes back after he claims 'drama begets drama'? What a joke.

 

[MeatMachine]

Rule of thumb for indie devs: Don't EVER call your game "[X] Simulator" unless you know everybody is going to think you are a shallow, minimalist asset-flipping douchebag out to make a quick buck exploiting idiots on Kickstarter and Steam Early Access, and disguise your sincere lack of giving a shit as an ironic joke about everyone else doing the same thing.

I don't care if John Farjay is a serious-minded developer who made a mistake or associated with the wrong people, or if he is one of those aforementioned parasites - he did exactly the same thing that people hate indie developers for: over-promising to backers on an uninspired, broken draft of a game, then pouting and running off with the dosh when people call the content an uninspired, broken draft of a game.

 

[Elfgore]

The dude got like thirty negative reviews, most of which I've read have all had actual constructive criticism. The forums have all been cleaned out, so I can speak for how bad those were. All of the posts are in there now are game related and "stop saying "mean" things".

I'm getting a sense this guy is just a total hack who released an incomplete, buggy title after people waited for years for it. Then saw how much people disliked that and took the money and ran. I always cringe when I see stuff like this, because I know people will defend this. You create content that you are profiting off of. Criticism and things you don't want to hear are part of the deal.

 

[NiPah]

Eh you toss your money into a Kickstarter or early access game and you're always taking a gamble, sucks with the drama and what not but that's how the business works.
I have a hard enough time taking a gamble preordering a AAA title, let alone an indie like this.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

So in this "game" you just around as a bear doing bear-stuff?

This "game" reminds me of an ep of the now cancelled 'Better Off Ted' where Linda dates a guy who confesses to liking dressing up as a bear, and wandering around the park.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Don't give your money to these half-baked ideas and schemes, if you desire bear simulation so badly, i'll offer you a day in the life of me...completely free! Although if you brought along some salmon, it wouldn't be the worst ice-breaker in the world. The stretch goals would be;
1 day: See bear pursue daily activities.
2 days: Watch bear sleep in natural habitat, slightly peturbed by a staring human. Have awkward breakfast with bear.
3 days: Do yoga with bear. Yes, these aren't called stretch-goals for no reason, curious human! (Not to be confused with Yogi-bear, my sellout, narcsissistic cousin). Later, play video-games with bear, hopefully not beating the creature at its own games, destroying bear's pride.
4 days: Witness bear get irate with persistent human presence and eating all bear's cheese.
5 days: Attempt bear's merciless trials that will test human's resistance to death.
6 days: If still alive and lingering around, experience the authentic, once in a lifetime opportunity to become an angry bear's lunch. Then its poo.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Rule of thumb for indie devs: Don't EVER call your game "[X] Simulator" unless you know everybody is going to think you are a shallow, minimalist asset-flipping douchebag out to make a quick buck exploiting idiots on Kickstarter and Steam Early Access, and disguise your sincere lack of giving a shit as an ironic joke about everyone else doing the same thing.

Aw, that's too bad. I had this killer idea for a Kickstarter project a while back:

SIMULATOR SIMULATOR

It's a game where you're playing the part of a shameless con artist who's realized that there's always going to be shills ready and willing to buy anything that promises vaguely quirky or non-sequitur game mechanics, so you have to asset-flip with the best of the boys while simultaneously avoiding the weaponized ire of Steam users and Jim Sterling devotees!

MINUTES OF FUN, I TELL YOU!

I take any and all payments: cash, credit, extra kidneys, unwanted children, extraneous souls or foolishly bequeathed limbs or extra digits you don't mind parting with. Who needs two arms, anyway? I'll even take those French fries you aren't going to eat, over there!

 

[Nazulu]

That fucking idiot! What the hell was he expecting!? Where the hell has he been the last 15 years? This dick head couldn't have done any research in his entire life! Absolutely pathetic.

No excuses Farjay! You got the money now do a proper job, not run off because of a little criticism. You should've known you would get some heat, even if you made a great game, you wanker.

 

[Karadalis]

Oh look.. another kickstarter dev cashing in on a half baked proposal for a game and then taking the money and running with it.

And people wonder why clowns like that never get the backing of publishers.

Start kickstarter
get lots of money
cancel project due BS reason
?????
PROFIT!

You get to keep all that money that you havent invested into the project! Thats one hefty payday i might add.

 

[FirstNameLastName]

Wait, so he's complaining about the reception the game recieved, and yet he called it Bear Simulator? Why would you use the "simulator" name if you wanted your game to be anything other than some disposable joke? Granted, the actual simulator games are still going strong with that title, but any "simulator" game that looks like anything other than some dry simulation is going to be associated with the likes of this ...
<youtube=ykL4VF6NL7k>
It's a dead joke at this point, people. Stop using it!

 

[Ihateregistering1]

So I've only backed a few kickstarters and they worked out well, but in a case like this, what happens? Do they refund people their money?

I'm just trying to think, is there anything stopping someone from claiming that they're going to make some awesome game, getting $250,000 in backing, and then cranking out some little simple game 2D game and saying "sorry this is as far as I got, my bad" and running off with the money?

 

[IceForce]

So in this "game" you just around as a bear doing bear-stuff?

Yeah, pretty much.


It also has RPG elements, apropos of nothing, where you have to level up your Intelligence and other 'bear skills' before you can do certain things.

 

[RJ 17]

And yet again I'm shown an example of why I won't ever be backing something on Kickstarter.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

So I've only backed a few kickstarters and they worked out well, but in a case like this, what happens? Do they refund people their money?

I'm just trying to think, is there anything stopping someone from claiming that they're going to make some awesome game, getting $250,000 in backing, and then cranking out some little simple game 2D game and saying "sorry this is as far as I got, my bad" and running off with the money?

And interesting question, and one I am too lazy to research, but from some of the stories I've heard that money is just kind of...gone. There might be some ways to try and get it back, but you're basically making donations based on promises, and you're making it of your own free will, so recourse is kind of hard to come by.
This is the prime reason why I will never donate to a kickstarter. If you make a product and it's worth my time, I'm support you by buying it. But just handing over money based on a promise? I'm afraid I'm not rich enough to do that.

 

[frizzlebyte]

So I've only backed a few kickstarters and they worked out well, but in a case like this, what happens? Do they refund people their money?

I'm just trying to think, is there anything stopping someone from claiming that they're going to make some awesome game, getting $250,000 in backing, and then cranking out some little simple game 2D game and saying "sorry this is as far as I got, my bad" and running off with the money?

***DISCLAIMER: None of what I'm about to say should be considered legal advice. I am not a lawyer, so don't use my suppositions to make any legal decisions. Always consult with a licensed attorney before making legal decisions or claims.***

From my understanding, not really. As long as you deliver on the promise to do what your KS campaign said it would do, then you don't have much recourse, legally, to recoup the money from something like that. If you just cut and run with the money, though, then you open yourself up to breach of contract suits and so on.

I would imagine that good faith effort would come into play in a case like this, but I'm not a lawyer, so I don't really know.

 

[Lightspeaker]

So I've only backed a few kickstarters and they worked out well, but in a case like this, what happens? Do they refund people their money?

I'm just trying to think, is there anything stopping someone from claiming that they're going to make some awesome game, getting $250,000 in backing, and then cranking out some little simple game 2D game and saying "sorry this is as far as I got, my bad" and running off with the money?

***DISCLAIMER: None of what I'm about to say should be considered legal advice. I am not a lawyer, so don't use my suppositions to make any legal decisions. Always consult with a licensed attorney before making legal decisions or claims.***

From my understanding, not really. As long as you deliver on the promise to do what your KS campaign said it would do, then you don't have much recourse, legally, to recoup the money from something like that. If you just cut and run with the money, though, then you open yourself up to breach of contract suits and so on.

I would imagine that good faith effort would come into play in a case like this, but I'm not a lawyer, so I don't really know.

Very loosely correct, to my understanding. I've backed several things myself on Kickstarter before today and I can't say I've read through ALL of the details but basically as far as I'm aware to be 'allowed' to keep the money the person running the Kickstarter has to do two things:

1. Fulfill all reward goals. This is, I believe, essential because its a direct promise to give something as a result of the pledge.

2. Make a good faith attempt to complete the project as outlined. Obviously proving whether its in good faith or not could result in a lot of legal wrangling if you wanted to take something to task for it. But generally speaking as long as they've made SOME sort of effort and, if the product itself was part of the rewards, provided some sort of product at the end of it then they're in the clear regarding refunding pledges.


On topic: I don't even understand this. YES the term 'simulator' has become truly horrifically poisoned since this guy ran his kickstarter (though it was never really the healthiest term anyway, its one you have to be very careful about using these days if you want to make a serious game, see Euro Truck Simulator for a positive example). YES it doesn't look like a particularly amazing game. YES its not going to be fun having people griping about something you've poured a lot of hard work into.

But on the other hand...its something at least approaching a real simulator game. Its also not a terrible game. And more to the point its currently sitting pretty on a 79% positive review score on Steam. A quick glance at the forum reveals someone who is saying that the score has jumped recently...but only up from 75% which is still solidly positive. It may not be the best game in the world but neither is it the worst, and I don't see this apparent overwhelming hate and negativity that the dev is claiming.

If anything the biggest problem seems to be the dev's attitude. The top rated review right now IS a negative one. But its a negative one with legitimate criticisms about how the game has been handled and how he or she personally has been treated by the dev (apparently deleting forum posts and flagging some reviews as 'abusive').

 

[Buckets]

So why couldn't he have just written the game then released it via steam or something, instead of ripping off all those people with a promised product (there must be some sort of legal issue here), it is a con - pure and simple.

Surely stretch goals not being delivered is a breach of contract as it has been promised as part of the product upon reaching a particular amount, so the contract has itself altered to include said features?
If you bought a car that was advertised to include a sunroof and it wasn't there, the company would be in breach of contract as it's false advertising, how would this situation be any different?