Exposing A Game Developer

[@mmogaddict]

One thing I think we can all agree with is that Andre sounds like a genuine top bloke. I hope he doesn’t lose all his faith in humanity.

[@Revanbzn]

Andre is a true hero.

[@smilo_don]

@@fyrestorme You do realize that humanity is the way it is because we're made in his image right?

[@papadong8100]

@@smilo_don took the words out of my mouth.

[@Paul-zh2jp]

it's every indie dev's dream to have someone fund you with no strings. i can't imagine doing something so stupid to fuck it up

[@ronrolfsen3977]

​@@fyrestorme “And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” -Ephesians 4:32 "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share" -1 Timothy 6:18 So your way of showing faith in God is to hope someone ignores his words?

[@kylegonewild]

My boy did it for the love of the game and Unravel did him dirty as fuck. This *could* have been a beacon for indie studios to point at and say "see?! we can do it we just need the money and freedom to *DO IT* " and instead it's an example of how the best intentions are always susceptible to exploitation. A damn shame.

[@dragon628]

This is something im honestly really sad about. This whole situation is going to extremely damage any ability for indie developers to get any kind of funding in the future. This project was presented as one of the most ethically developed projects, yet turned into nothing more than greed. People, and investors are going to remember this project when considering ever investing any indie project ever again.

[@Nerobyrne]

I would say that Kingdom Come: Deliverance showed people that you can make a high-quality game with a new studio, if you're just given the funding. That's just my favourite example, the gaming landscape is full of really good indie titles both great and small. Really, there's never been a better time to be a gamer than right now.

[@toshiroyamada2443]

@@Nerobyrne Almost all the best games released in the past few years have been from indie studios

[@Nerobyrne]

@@toshiroyamada2443 obviously

[@meridiasbeacon7669]

There are thousands of successful kickstarter games, it's just that none of them promise anything insane or chase delusions. There are insane crowd-funded games out there. But as they say about bad apples...

[@eliwalls696]

Damn what a sad story. And what a fumble, literally the luckiest game dev ever to have an investor give them full creative control and funding and then gamble that opportunity. Sucks for the community and it sucks for other devs that could have 100% used that opportunity to make something really incredible.

[@sweetfry]

damn they really fucked it up huh.

[@kobaltblueknight]

And on top of that, all the work that had been done to this point on the game, down the drains.

[@attckDog]

I'd kill for that kind of chance. I'm so mad that he tossed that out the window

[@sweetfry]

@@attckDog for real wtf...

[@ArtisticlyAlexis]

Why is it always the corrupt, greedy A*holes of the world who get chances like these? It feels like karma is working the opposite way it's supposed to, where bad people are rewarded w/ good luck & lots of chances, while honest, good people are treated unfairly by the world!

[@nephillim8641]

This Andrea guy sounds like a fucking Saint. He fully funded a MMO, one of the hardest types of games to make someone's dream come true. Then he let's someone who scammed him keep someo of the money to "help their father", we don't know if that was true, and doesn't even press charges. It's a shame to see someone so generous with their money be so abused.

[@ixinor]

Probably money laundring.

[@eustaquioabichuelo1265]

@@ixinor with that amount of money you dont make a videogame, you "invest" in art/nft/crypto or set up a company in Panamá, to list a few options

[@semkjaer3581]

@@ixinor how does giving money away launder it?

[@Jeez001]

Lot of millennial investors who made money via Silicon Valley or crypto openly invest and even give away $$. No money laundering.

[@ExValeFor]

He just sounds like he has so much money, he literally doesn't care what he does with it.

[@MaestroPanda]

"As you know, I have...". Damn bro, no I didn't. Thanks for keeping your integrity through this time, not everyone would do that. I've been enjoying your videos for more than a year at this point. Thanks.

[@KnakuanaRka]

I thought he said “had”, and I don’t remember him mentioning it since, so I think he’s in the clear now. 😅

[@tcd2cool]

The biggest thing I got out of this is that you had (have?) late stage cancer. I am now sad. I think some people give you a bad rap for talking about their game/project in a brutally honest way. But that is why we like you. Live long and prosper, man.

[@Nerobyrne]

he said he HAD late-stage cancer, which is a pretty impressive thing to say. That's not usually something you speak about in past tense. It usually turns you into past tense.

[@kurtcobane1762]

@@Nerobyrne Speaking from experience, it just shows the sheer ammount of will this dude has that and his honesty are part of the reason his contents so good

[@BigSmokeLV]

When you deal with things like cancer money and other things people lust for become meaningless and you can truly be pure and good and know what’s good in life that’s why he didn’t take the money

[@4PawSquad]

I know this is an old video. Can someone clarify if he has gotten better? Poor Kira

[@princesssoybean]

@@4PawSquadI believe so. He’s travelling through Asia now. Living in Thailand I think. Everything he went through gave him a new perspective and he left the UK. He also talkes about it sometimes on his other channel it’s just called Kira.

[@mmogaddict]

The only game I want to see add NFTs is Star Citizen…. But only so I can sell everything that I’ve brought so far and can be done with that train wreck

[@borkguy]

Dang that sucks, you bought into someone’s dream and can’t escape

[@FN1980a]

You don't need NFT for that, just use the GM.

[@Talking_Ed]

I heard you like scam, so we put scam in your scam dawg.

[@lashed1980]

Have to wait for the roadmap....wait.....

[@Batlafication]

Have anything good?

[@ThomasHermJr]

Going over everyone in this situation: Andre deserves all the love in the world for being such a stand up guy. He gave and gave, even after he got scammed by a team member, and even forgave that guy. This guy sounds like the living embodiment of every "rich philanthropist" story people tell you about, but actually real. And Kira deserves it as well; while this seems like an easy decision to make this video, it's showing so many things that were private. As he mentioned, doing so could harm his reputation massively, and it's not to be taken lightly, even at this stage. The fact he could bring himself to do it when necessary shows a massive amount of character and integrity. Then there's unravel. It reminds me of that quote "if you're a giver, know your limits, because takers don't have any."

[@Hauntaku]

Andre is a real champion. I hope he'll continue to support developers. He just has to avoid anyone interested in crypto.

[@manuxx3543]

But now that this story his out, people will try to even more abuse his kindness, probably why he wanted to stay anonymous

[@insanecrazyman7637]

If I ever made a game, going through the alpha and beta stage I'd want Kira to be there every step, seems like a trustworthy youtuber here to bring us the truth

[@veles1415]

@@Hauntaku Andre is in crypto. As in, he holds cryptocurrencies and develops apps on Ethereum blockchain.

[@andrewcamden]

If a [purely hypothetical] guy gets scammed and doesn't press charges, it could mean that he's a nice guy but it could also be the result of not wanting authorities to look into where his money came from in the first place. A huge amount of the money made in blockchain projects is actually just being laundered after being gained via other means. Until I know where someone actually got his money from, I would hesitate to assume that he was a good guy because he didn't press charges.

[@nonamenoname9352]

This is just sad, so many games would love to have an opportunity like this.

[@Athasin]

Yeah this pissed me off so much because this scumbag ruined a once in a lifetime opportunity AND ruined other people’s chances of getting that once in a lifetime opportunity because he became one more reason for Andre to never give people these types of opportunities.

[@gixG17]

@@Athasin ... AND ruined other people's chances of getting the MMO they were backing.

[@teets3000]

It's really heart breaking. I'm a part of a tiny 4 person team, we're currently busting our asses working on a game while also working full time jobs to fund it. I'd do anything for an opportunity like that. So disheartening.

[@zaehehe]

@@teets3000 Like you, i'm a solo developer, so i fund it completely myself. An opportunity like that is a dream for developers, such a shame. But hey, i'd hate to work for AAA companies now, considering the work they're releasing, absolutely disgraceful nowadays.

[@marteronde]

i got stuck on the "late stage cancer" sweet jesus man, hope you can beat it

[@ThunderChanter]

"Nobody tells you that building cool products like this requires so much more than just your love for it" Except for, ya know, EVERY MMO?GAME CRITIQUE CHANNEL OUT THERE. Hell Josh's slogan is "If you want to make an MMO as your first game, my advice is: Dont"

[@KatastrophicNoodle]

IKR. I want to make all sorts of games including MMOs because I have amazing unique ideas... but that's ALL I have. I could never just make it from the love in my heart. I would definitely need to find a studio willing to take a nobody, with no experience on as a project lead or director or some shit and who the fuck is going to do that? Only studios with no experience or talent themselves.

[@TheShowerofSlime]

Preach! That MMO money would have made a decently fleshed out single player game that can stand on it's two feet

[@firebat36]

I thought my love of houses would overcome my lack of knowledge in construction...

[@Hauntaku]

MMOs are overwhelmingly difficult to make since you've got to have the perfect amount of servers and each one has to connect properly and then stuff has to be saved and distributed across all servers without any errors and now I have a headache just thinking of it.

[@RisingRevengeance]

Nobody should have to tell you that's it's a bad idea. Anyone who has played an mmorpg knows how much work and cash goes into it, not just something you do on a whim.

[@StoutShako]

I feel bad for the investor who was doing all the right things and got burned (AGAIN!!!) and I'm so sorry that this dickbag brought up your personal health struggles to try to get you to go along with his bullshit. It feels like everyone in this story was doing the right thing except for him. I hope dearly that the project can keep trucking along somehow without him, but... I doubt that's possible, at this point.

[@Jordan-Ramses]

Giving your money foolishly isn't all the right things.

[@superleipoman]

@@Jordan-Ramses Yes, extremely naive at best.

[@mufasafalldown8401]

He should fund his own game at this point.

[@3312-q2e]

@@superleipoman imagine sending 250k to some guy you only talked to over discord to prove you are real ..

[@superleipoman]

@@3312-q2e makes u wonder how they got rich at all

[@chompers5568]

God I've watched a lot of your videos and had now idea about the cancer. Your so much braver then me I don't know if I could produce the amount of videos you do and my mental state not bleed over. Really hope you the best of luck with everything.

[@MichaelNobleMusic]

This kills me dude. I'm with a dev team, currently working on a game. I'm sure there's plenty of other devs watching. I (and my team) know how hard it is to get funding/publishers and hold the trust and good will of people investing in your work. This is PAINFUL to hear about. What's crazier to me is that while yes, having this kind of dream source of funding is rare, when it does happen, it's super overly common for the devs to be the ones to completely and recklessly mismanage the opportunity they've been given, instead of the funding sources (not just talking about crowdfunding) being the evil overlords, which is where our minds usually go. Honestly this exact situation is why so many publishers have such strict regulations on funding and the timing of releasing funds. Once people see those kind of numbers in their bank account, people's state of mind just completely change and they lose sight of priorities. Even (or maybe 'especially') at higher-ends of AAA development. Honestly these are the kinds of videos I want every 'new' developer, especially solo or very small teams, to watch and take to heart. You're not different, this could be you, or it could be me lol. You already had a game planned, and were going to make it anyway (or try to at least). That can't change just because you are given funds that you didn't even know existed. Make the same game, the same way. But more efficiently. We can't lose sight and change up our whole plan just because we've got some extra zero's to play with. Make your game, and if there's money left, make it better. These situations are super important for us to learn from. Really, with any creative line of work.

[@Hauntaku]

I wish I had an investor so that I could just make my game without worrying about rent or running out of coffee. The game is still planned to be free or $5 though.

[@aarondavis8943]

I've met heroin addicts who are more trustworthy and have more integrity than Unravel. I can't remember hearing of such a great opportunity being bestowed on someone who then squandered it in such a contemptible manner. It's mind boggling.

[@jeffzeiler346]

Money is not a magical manipulative monster, just waiting to corrupt any who come too near it. I have zero sympathy or compassion for unravel and his ilk, and am disappointed he faced zero legal repercussions for his crimes. As he got away with, no doubt he'll continue his criminal ways - so maybe his next victim will be less lenient. Here's hoping.

[@mrskira8163]

Guess money simply shows a person's true nature. Really glad you chose to do the right thing about Titan Reach. Hopefully you will continue to choose integrity and honesty in the future. Love you x

[@houdini329]

I don't know about true nature. A different one.

[@kommandantvhs4994]

No the guy was greedy at heart. A real shitstain

[@JohnSmith-ox3gy]

Even if his nature was different it is not wise to put someone inexperienced and unproven in control of this much capital. Some strings should have been attached.

[@hallo-mt5tx]

i would 100% expect the person to run as soon as i give them this much money tbh

[@ShayRubachOfficial]

I agree. Unfortunate.

[@baronnachor6104]

Didn't know bout your health, i am so deeply sorry to hear that buddy. Sending you my absolute best wishes. Keep being awesome.

[@mangled7094]

Same best of luck man love your content

[@Deck_Dynasty]

Same. Hope you stay in good health now for many years to come.

[@e3IZrZ]

I didnt like the way it was mentioned, but meh none of my business.

[@Rafflewafflez]

@@e3IZrZ lol Shoosh you are interrupting the well wishers

[@e3IZrZ]

@@Rafflewafflez I am purposely doing just that.

[@moriakpotato]

Andre seems like a cool guy. I hope he doesn't get any shit for this. And thanks for being a straight shooter and putting this out.

[@inurabera]

Yeah, it shows that those with money and investments aren't always souless monsters. Such a shame that this happened, as he will also be much more reticent to ever do something out of the kindness of his heart in the future.

[@ThatOneMan830]

Man is straight up the only investor I’ve heard of I have actual respect for.

[@guillaumedupond8985]

Yeah I seriously hope that people won't try to scam him in the future now that his name is known

[@Bleideris0]

He makes money from peoples stupidity.... He explicitly stated not to invest in cryptos

[@Daark_Karma]

@@ThatOneMan830 There are a lot of good investors. Unfortunatly you only ever hear about the bad ones because the bad shit that happens. If an investment is good and the final result is amazing then you never hear about the investor, either because they were anon to begin with OR their credit is overlooked (think about it, how many people ACTUALLY look at credits in a product or page and look for the people who put money into it instead of focusing on those directly involved in the development)

[@williamhououin]

Ugh, man that sucks. It was such a great story, a game saved by a mysterious generous donator… Thanks for what you did there, it’s just disappointing to see how it’s ending

[@ghostinthesmoke3267]

Wait what! You have late stage cancer! Wtf noooooo! You're one of my favourite youtubers of all time! The amount of times you've made me laugh with your content is too many to count. I really hope you're getting the best treatment available and that you are on gonna get through this.

[@hamzahussain7794]

This revelation absolutely destroyed me,I am absolutely shocked...Kira is one of my favorite youtubers of all time. I really really hope he is getting the best care and treatment available and I pray to God he gets through this.

[@samarkand1585]

Had

[@ilarinikkarikoski4765]

@@samarkand1585 had?

[@Bleideris0]

I dont think you know what late stage cancer is

[@notimeforcreativenamesjust3034]

@@ilarinikkarikoski4765 he’s out of the woods now

[@zealous404]

I can't imagine how Andre felt at the end of this, all this man done is out of goodwill & good faith and trust yet he's the one being done dirtiest I hope the best for him, not many people would've done the same he did in same circumstances - he's a real good Samaritan.

[@fatherWolt]

Yeah this unravelled guy sounds like a massive idiot. What is it about crypto that turns everyone into degenerate gambling addicts? The guy got a golden ticket literally handed to him and he saw an opportunity to make more money with crypto and it absolutely ATE HIS ASS. I am not super huge into the MMO scene but the MASSIVE amount of integrity you posses keeps me glued to the channel! It's always a fun time watching your videos.

[@ElysianAura]

It's a story as old as humanity itself. Someone gets money or something from someone else, sees a potential avenue to massively grow that (while ignoring risk) and then figures everything will be ok if they can just return the original investment (and of course pocket all the potential profit).

[@mira12825]

@@FlamespeedyAMV That's the thing with pretty much anything. If someone tells you x is a great way to get rich quick, it isn't anymore.

[@DeagleGamesTV]

@@Nighterlev lmao stocks are no less a scam than crypto.

[@Hauntaku]

@@FlamespeedyAMV That's why I invest in indie game developers and small artists by giving donations to them to support their efforts.

[@oliver_twistor]

@@Nighterlev My view is that neither stock nor crypto is a scam. You definitely can make good money on crypto, if you manage your risk properly and do your research. The problems many people run into when starting with crypto are: * Too little experience with trading/investing overall. I started with crypto after 20 years of stock trading/investing. Because of this, I had already made all the noob mistakes with far lesser risk, so when I started with crypto I knew (somewhat) what to expect. * Too little research into what they buy into. Look at most of the crypto projects out there, the meme coins especially, like Shiba Inu, a meme of a meme. Buying such coins are a true gamble. Sure, you may be lucky and make a bunch of money, but to me it seems more like going to the casino playing roulette. There are people winning big on that, too. Trading in general and crypto in particular requires careful research, knowledge and planning. Jumping in head first without any analysis skills or plan set up, like so many people do with crypto is a bad idea. They'll lose all their money and will spread the word that crypto and trading is terrible and a gamble. It is a gamble because they treat it as gambling. * Investing money they can't afford to lose. This is another noob mistake. They become too greedy and want to make a quick buck so they put in way too much money, and as a result they have to sell in a panic if their investments start to lose value because they needed that money for payments. I always treat my investments as money already gone (because in reality they are), and if my investment is good, I can later make a profit. * Be too greedy. They are not satisfied when their crypto coin has increased 10 % in value. They want it to go to 50 % or 100 %, so they won't sell parts of their investment to lock in any gains. Later, the coin price goes down again and they lose all their potential profit. Alternatively, they do lock in profits, but they take the initial investment plus the profits and invest all of it, creating a snowball effect that results in them still losing everything if and when the price goes down. Really, I could sum these four points up to one point: they don't know what they're doing. Research research research! Know what you invest in is number 1 advice I could give. Number 2 is don't blindly follow anyone's advice on in what and when to invest. Always do advice 1. That is true for stocks as well. Heck, even for buying games. It's not a good strategy to buy games at random or just because some person tells you it will be the most fantastic game ever. You will be disappointed more times than you will be pleasantly surprised.

[@svenwagner4717]

'And we should gain a massive new community from the crypto side'. When will these people learn that while many dabble with crypto as investment, the ones pushing and wanting it in games are just a handful of weirdos?

[@MinistryOfGamersMOG]

It still baffles me how games like this manage to get this much attention and bounce around this much money.

[@brianm.595]

Speculative investors.

[@crunchyfrog555]

Two things that are worth bearing in mind. The current situation with crypto and unregulated speculaton. It has created a lot of people with stupid amounts of money (it's largely why NFTs exist). Also, there's a demand for this sort of game that is not being adequately addressed. WOW was a beast and that desire for that straight up MMO is still there, but there's bugger all much that really does is. Ergo, you have a hngry ton of people wanting to buy such games, and even the rare golden goose around too.

[@MinistryOfGamersMOG]

@gooHero yeah to have that opportunity then to just make a risky gamble with an investors money... Insane.

[@andrewmeyer3599]

@gooHero Your taxes going up cus of the lottery doesn't help much either

[@Hauntaku]

@@andrewmeyer3599 That and inflation caused by the rich not putting money back into the local economy.

[@swattofficer6624]

Wow, Andre seems like a ridiculously nice guy, still willing to clear debt and give money after being stolen from- and of course the whole "heres hundreds of thousands a month to fund a game no strings attached" was nice too. I hope this doesn't put him off altruism for life.

[@tony6795]

lol he deals in crypto. He's by default, a terrible person.

[@acronen]

@@tony6795 The Andre dude? Where are you getting that info from? All we get from the video regarding Andre and crypto is him telling Unravel not to invest in crypto, even with his own money. Doesn't sound like a guy that deals in crypto.

[@fiammanera2579]

@@acronen Well... If you read his bio, he definitely deals in crypto, there called Decentralized Finance or something. Despite that, he seemed genuine or at least di things correctly and professionally and has no faults whatsoever.

[@acronen]

@@fiammanera2579 I didn't read any bio or look further into it. That's why I asked where the person I responded to got that info from.

[@fiammanera2579]

@@acronen I meant the brief info Kira showed in the video when named Andre for the first time.

[@Danyelitoman]

I love the chill, no script reviews videos, but damn, these ones are so well made as well Ty for the vid, great work, sad story tho

[@KiraTV1]

Thanks dude

[@Neukom720]

Andre seems like a really kind and giving person, I commend his kindness even though it didn't work out and hope it doesn't change his good heart! I hope nothing more negative from this happens to him. Thank you Kira for the full story! Could have had a happy ending but stupidity and greed ruined it!

[@GravitoRaize]

A lot of early crypto investors that held till today were miners first, and for many, their day job was normal system admin work and maybe gaming at night. They got put into a position of being responsible for a lot of money. They've been used to dealing with disappointment among users in their regular day jobs. Unfortunately it's really hard once you are known to be wealthy to actually find investments worth investing in, because most people can't be trusted with that kind of money. This game is an example of that, several times over, sadly. I gave a friend a reasonably large amount of crypto money to work on a game that wasted it as well. In hindsight I should have picked someone who was already making a game and had a creative vision that he just needed a few more developers for.

[@Neukom720]

@@GravitoRaize sorry to hear that man, miner and investor myself

[@Hauntaku]

@@GravitoRaize You do you. Just make sure to invest in indie devs that have a clear concept and something to show. They better at least have a beta or alpha version ready to play though.

[@faranell7481]

This story has some very ironic elements. The guy who is heavily invested in crypto told the game dev to do NOT invest in crypto, because he will loose money. He did it anway, and lost his money. The Super Bowl was filled with crypto releated ads, wish this story was one of them.

[@Hauntaku]

Crypto guy: Don't worry about adding crypto into the game. Just make the game good and fun. * but the clown refused to listen *

[@Valentyn90A]

@@Hauntaku You should really relax, I see your comments about "crypto scam" all over the place.

[@dripster8279]

Kira you did the right thing. Don’t let others make you think otherwise. Love your videos and your balanced view point.

[@Hauntaku]

Kira did the right thing by making this video. If he didn't make this video then it'd leak out that he had involvement eventually. I'm glad to hear his side of this because if I heard Kira was a part of a crypto scam and stayed silent then I'd be really annoyed instead of slightly annoyed.

[@roskelld]

Wow. As someone who's explored the world (and still is) of raising funding, the idea of finding someone like Andre is like a literal lottery win. It's incredibly sad to hear what's gone on here. Like the scammy Kickstarters and rug pulls, they help harm the future efforts of legit devs raising funds. I can completely see how pressures can cause people to do irrational things out of fear of failure. My sticking point in this story is the Tesla though. I'd buy the idea of buying a fancy meal or splashing out a bit, but buying a high end car, it feels hard to not judge someone for that.

[@Hauntaku]

They were only supposed to use the money for the game project. They did a stupid thing and ruined their chances forever.

[@Foxhoundn]

I feel so sorry for the rest of the team when they found out about this. I dont agree that people change with money, their true color is shown. Fuck, he had a LIFETIME opportunity to follow his dream, and he fucks up because of CRYPTO????? That’s sad on so many levels…

[@twizz420]

and a Tesla! Can't forget that.

[@braxlucky5718]

He seems like the kinda guy to invested in those influencer rug pulls like Save the kids and CX coin as you said he had his dreams at his fingertips

[@Hauntaku]

Imagine putting a risk above a guaranteed source of potential income. Buying crypto is a scam. Making an MMO with a good membership plan is a guaranteed source of income if done correctly.

[@TheRealOxidan]

Kira forever has my respect for making this video. Integrity like this is near impossible to find in a world run by greed.

[@crunchyfrog555]

Damn, I can't fault you one bit for this and your decision. Sometimes you get dragged into a situation enough that you hre left with no choice, and this one truly is a sad one where nobody truly wins anything. I also admire you for having to deal with all this bullshit while having cancer. Im in my fifties struggling with spina bifida and frankly I thought my situation was hard enough. So you have my eternal respect.

[@PrettyBatGames]

Andre, if you are ever going to read this comment on this video, I would like to thank you for your humanity shown and your character. Not a lot of people can commit to such a kind heart and I only wish there would be more like you on this planet - the power of good example can change everyone and build a better society overall. And I'm sad you got burned yet again by some peoples bad judgement and actions. I would wish to find out about some successful funding stories about this kind of support, where someone can build something great with the help of someone like you.

[@ZomgRAWR93]

Andre has a heart made of gold and (to use E2 terminology) diamond hands. Unravel shook one hand and took from the other. I can't even put to words the feelings I have for this story. He burned a man with only kindness to give. This was hard to watch. 😞

[@memitim171]

You are far too kind Kira, the level of contempt I feel for this guy simply cannot be put into words and if it could I'd probably be jailed for it....

[@kewlhotrod]

Greed rules all, the contempt isn't healthy or necessary. The shame and regret is punishment enough. It was stupid and greedy, but ultimately not worth contempt. We have to end the days of ruining people's lives; chasing them with their mistakes to the end of the world, no matter where they go. It's no way to live.

[@Hauntaku]

@@kewlhotrod I forgive that scam artist. I hope they have bad karma though.

[@memitim171]

@@kewlhotrod "The shame and regret is punishment enough." Spare me, his only regret was that he got caught. Few things are worthy of contempt in the way being given the chance of a lifetime and throwing it away is, betraying your own dream for pure greed...no, it is very much necessary. That feeling will burn in my heart and, hopefully, prevent me from making the same mistake in the unlikely event I ever find myself in a similar position. I never said we should chase him to the end of the earth, that isn't contempt, it's hatred and I agree we don't need any more of that.

[@Lukexxxxxx]

i didn't know about your health either. since i don't know the details i just wanna wish you all the best and leave a few words of appreciation. I've been watching your videos for about a year now. I don't play MMOs but it's interesting to listen. i like your straight forward, to the point character, calling things out as they are, integrity (and yeah this video of course demonstrates that specifically). again all the best from Germany

[@CallumUpton]

this video is the definition of integrity, love it! also, what a opportunity to throw away, having your studio fully funded and squandering it through gambling and greed... so sad

[@Heikjo679]

the worst part is the loss for the employees who thought they have a stable situation for their work and the repeated abuse of great goodwill from an investor who is just trying to help someone who needs it. I hope that Andre will keep up his spirit after it, the world can be quite disappointing if you are an optimist.

[@shadesmarerik4112]

its not just gambling and greed. Its embezzling of money that he doesnt own, its a shady attempt to bribe his 'friend' Kira to cover up this story and its the misappropriation of trust in anonymity of his donor. The gambling just comes on top of this shit cake.

[@jedimosiah8666]

This makes me sick. Andrew took a pity on some fool down on his luck, showering him with incredible generosity. The fool immediately turns and screws him over, because he just thought he could. Ultimately people will consider your compassion a weakness, and try to use it against you. Kudos to you, Kira, for being straight with us.

[@isatche]

And then you learn that a lot of people who are down on their luck are there because of their own actions and decisions. Not all of course.

[@EsperG2]

this makes me want to fucking scream. I'm developing a game and this kind of funding would be a dream. A DREAM. BUT HE SQUANDERED IT JUST LIKE THAT. FUCK.

[@uNiels_Heart]

I hope your game will be a success

[@bandit7672]

Good luck with your game!

[@mitlanderson]

How's you game coming along at the moment?

[@mattpeters4700]

This is why I refused to read or watch any other news on this story while I waited for your video. Kira you are a fucking superstar of a human being. You are an inspiration with your integrity and morals and everything you have gone through. I appreciate that you made this video more than I can even say. Keep on being a legend dude.

[@Xeirus911]

Man, I'm so sorry about the cancer. Please keep us updated, we care about you dude.

[@Svafne]

Oh damn Kira, this is quite the story. And I'm very sorry to hear about your health. You said "had" right(I hope!)? And both the fact that you tell this story and that your health isn't good just goes to show that you're really worthy of respect. You sure has mine! :) Stay well Kira!

[@azca.]

Cancer especially late stage is unbeatable. It always comes back and metastisizes

[@christianlewis6789]

I honestly don't blame you for not addressing the crypto thing, especially when it seemed like it wasn't ascertained initially. There is a danger in playing the role of truth-seeker, in which doing so blatantly and without propriety could result in the unnecessary ruination of one's reputation if on the end receiving blame. In the end, though, the whole truth came out. I genuinely sympathize with your stances, Kira. Kudos on an awesome video!

[@Jabrils]

Yo, the MMO space has so much drama, Netflix docu-series when?

[@BigHalfSteps]

The moral of the story is that he didn't only have his own life in his hands, but also the lives of the developers, the community and the investor. He lost everyone, but that's not THE PUNISHMENT. It's a result. You gain trust by doing good things, and lose it when you fuck up. This video is too soft spoken towards someone who willingly misused money for his own benefit. Now everything everyone worked so hard is gone to the gutter.

[@ryaeon9793]

atleast the truth is released, they who blinded by money will think other people can persuaded by money.

[@Hauntaku]

@@ryaeon9793 Yep, money is the root of all evil. It taints everything it touches. Art and games would be better if they could be made without worry of profit.

[@oliver_twistor]

@@Hauntaku This is what's so puzzling with this story. The developer already secured funding, so they didn't have to worry of profit. Yet, they fucked up. I think that was partly the problem. They got money without boundaries. Many people struggle without boundaries. And when it comes to art, like the saying goes: great art comes from limitations.

[@ryaeon9793]

@@Hauntaku worry of profit is needed for paying staff and member or crew. but something excessive like lootbox should stay at mobile game as gacha. and nowdays AAA games just play safe by staying with their big IP like battlefield franchise. but i can assure you, if someone falls to the ground because holding big money. in the future they can manage their thought better and success, the key is "to the ground" feel the bitter and pain first.

[@steponmemommy9323]

@@Hauntaku The LOVE of money*

[@lildgamedev6885]

BRO I CANT BELIEVE THIS FOR REAL. Respect to you and Andre (that was his name right) for being decent humans and not wanting to screw anyone over. It’s just unbelievable how lucky this guy was for Andre to fund his team, and how greedy he was to throw away the money. It sucks that a genuine good dude like Andre got taken advantage of like that. I mean how often does a guy this well meaning come around?? It truly is a shame, I’m stunned. But again, respect to you and Andre for handling this like professionals.

[@necrocaticgames]

"Ruined the best thing that ever happened to him..." Ouch. As a game dev - having a dream come true like that and then f'ing it up is one of the saddest things I have heard.

[@CMDR_Nef]

This is really really upsetting as this was the first and only game I backed monetarily. I discovered this game via coverage from Lazypeon and followed it through other creators such as yourself, heck it's how I discovered your channel. I loved the demo, I haven't played many MMO's in the last decade simply because none of them did it for me. Titanreach did for some reason and to see a game with so much heart fumbled like this...I doubt I'll ever back another title no matter how promising. Thank you for being you, this video is a shining example of understanding and empathy for everyone involved. I've heard you mention health issues but this is the first time I've heard the details. My mom is currently fighting end stage Lymphoma, my heart truly goes out to you. Fight it with everything you have man.

[@VenomGamingCenter]

This was honestly pretty eye opening. I feel really sorry for Andrei. Getting screwed over like that multiple times. It's not often you find a person with money is that nice or forgiving in the first place. I wouldn't blame the guy if never even concidered helping anyone ever again. Honestly money just makes people really scummy. Nice job Kira, I really admire your integrity, transparency and honesty. And you're right, life is really fucking complicated.

[@oliver_twistor]

As we've seen, Andrei is really rich but not scummy at all. I don't believe money corrupts, it reveals. Scummy people will continue being scummy if they get rich. Nice people will continue be nice if they get rich. The only thing that money changes is the amount of scummy or nice things you can do. A nice but dirt poor person can never give game developers unlimited funding for their game, for example.

[@mikoto7693]

Oh Kira, I’m sorry this happened. Kindness is so rare, and seeing it abused is sad.

[@borismeszaros9582]

Dont care about mmos, dont care about crypto. However the way you approach the content is calming and reassuring (that not yet the whole world gone mad). Every day after work i watch your videos to decompress and calm down. Youre like Bob Ross if Bob Ross would not paint and had a channel about scammers and instead "beat the devil out of it" said "work that shaft" a lot. Anyway, i mean great channel thx. :D

[@IlseMulAuthor]

Thank you for giving us this background information. It's a sad story for all involved. I feel the most sorry for Andrej who really seems to have philanthropic heart. I hope he doesn't get burned anymore in the future. It's a good thing that you came forward with this. Thank you for your integrity. That is extremely important in cases like this. I had no idea about the cancer. I'm sorry to hear about that. I hope the other devs will find a new job that's really to their liking.

[@Draceosfire]

When I watched the last video about the miracle of a no string attached funding. I was really hoping it would not go down this road. but, here we are. I think the biggest mistake made was leaving the money to one person to control. When someone who does not have a lot of money suddenly gets all of it, you can find out fast how good someone actually is with controlling themselves with such. Honestly, most if not all of us with such a change in their lives would either do it, or struggle daily not to do it. so leaving such power to one person is overwhelming to the best of us. I don't condone his actions, but I am not surprised either. This situation all together is just sad, hoped for that Disney ending with this, but got that Grimms' Fairy Tale of caution. maybe the one who funded this is able to find the one group he can be proud to fund. and being in your position, i don't blame your choices at all. you were put into a corner and had to do something you may not even have wanted. this is a situation of no winners. respect to you through all of this and how you handled it.

[@shadesmarerik4112]

its not a story about self-control, its about someone who embezzled money, gambled it away, tried to bribe youtuber to cover this up and also doxxed the one guy who gave him and his colleagues millions to create a game.

[@skupipup]

I remember your video on the angel investor or whatever and thought "well isn't that nice", heartbreaking to hear things went down the shitter.

[@WinkTartanBelle]

This story puts me in mind of all those cautionary tales about people who win the lottery. Financial wealth (even if it isn't technically your own money) is not something most people are educated to deal with successfully. Yes, it can be a test of character, but also it's a test of preparation.

[@jabroniuscranstoun98]

holy shit this Andre is a goddamn saint of a man, how the fuck do you screw someone over whose that generous and forgiving when he had such an amazing thing going

[@O1NKery]

this is so surreal. I'm not even sad, just deeply disappointed. even if I would never play the game, I still find the fact that the dev would ruin his whole life while everything was given to him unbelievable. it's crazy.

[@ZebofZebYT]

A sad tale. A tragedy. It's rare in life to encounter someone apparently so benevolent, so rare that most people probably never do.

[@I2dios8]

As someone who aspires to be a great game dev someday, knowing this guy got the dream deal and ended up wasting it hurts my soul.

[@Hauntaku]

Game development isn't easy. I wish you luck!

[@MichaelPohoreski]

Professional game dev here with a dozen SKUs shipped since 1995. *Shipping a game is one of THE hardest things to do.* There are a million things that can derail a project. Stayed focused and having the commitment when you want to give up will test your soul. In a lot of ways it is akin to running a marathon. If you want to be a successful game dev then ship small 2D ones so you learn the mandatory skills of saying no to feature creep, to learning how to estimate tasks, the pros and cons of solutions, and the habit of staying focused. Game dev is all about problem solving and the blending of Art and Science. Sometimes you follow a formulaic formula. Other times follow your intuition. The only way to learn this is to make games. The FIRST rule of game development is: *PROTYPE.* If the game isn’t fun with stand-in art then it won’t magically become fun with high resolution professional art and audio. Far too often people want to build a 3D MMORPG as their first game. This is akin to sitting down at the piano expecting to play Classical music when you still don’t know scales or how to play them. The games industry is littered with failure of the Project Management Triangle: _You can have it on time, on budget, on scope._ *Pick TWO.* THE most important book you will ever read is: _The Mythical Man-Month_ by Fred Brooks. Don’t let it’s age fool you. It is still applicable and summarized timeless wisdom that was paid for by blood, sweat, and tears. Good luck on your career!

[@anri6198]

Well, that sucks. Hopefully the project gets picked up by a bigger company as Riot did with Hytale.

[@tawesssoabbox]

I can honestly understand how this happen. A huge influx of money is a horrid temptation. It takes a very stiff spine to be able to resist gilding your own table. Then it is usually a fast decline.

[@shadesmarerik4112]

its the exploitation of trust that was the problem, not the money itself. U see this also in breaking the anonymity and the attempt to bribe. Its way more than to embezzle money that not u, but ur company owns.

[@oliver_twistor]

Also, the way he tried to profit himself off of this was so incredibly reckless. He essentially gambled away all the money on what I'd guess was some crappy meme coin that got rug pulled. If he had bought ETF's or something for a part of the money he got from the investor, he wouldn't have lost it all.

[@forktrus]

I appreciate the inner struggle it can be keeping information from sources confidential. It comes with being a journalist. I'm a journalist too. If you blurted out everything a source tells you -- you lose that source -- and potential future sources. Having a network of sources is paramount to the success of a journalist as a whole. It's through these sources we find out about everything from government corruption to trade rumors in sports. It's how we find the truth and bring it to the public's attention. Credibility is the line in the sand -- and you cross it the minute you care more about money than the truth. Pushing as hard as you can to not be forced over that line is how you maintain accountability -- not just to yourself -- but for the people who turn to you for the facts. I commend you on your integrity, man. You're a good dude.

[@gl33p29]

the story is sad, and i feel for all involved, and i don't know if i've just not been paying attention, but the bit you shared about your own health really hurt to hear. your work is an important part of my hobby life and, well, not sure what to say. maybe, if there is anything your followers can do to help you, please do let us know.

[@ohpreaze1361]

This guy really had the golden ticket, develop a game without any financial clock ticking away and he fucked it.

[@user-mx2qx4rl9o]

Fucked it twice. No three times lol.

[@georgeblair3894]

Kira = Integrity. God I love this channel.

[@RestrictedTWO]

He means well, but too often he also falls prey to the beer goggles of hype and personal expectations.. He is growing wiser for sure though!

[@fabiolean]

Shout out to Andre. This is exactly the kind of experience that could shake someone's notions of fairness, kindness, humanity. Best of luck to this dude, and I hope he gets some justice out of all this.

[@cnacma]

So many insanely talented independently taught game devs are working two jobs and making their dream games on the side. This opportunity could change their life and give them (and gamers) the future they’ve always wanted. It’s so sad to see. Not only did he piss away a one in a million opportunity, but Andre will probably think twice about funding another independent dev. Btw most rich people are terrible human beings. Andre seems like he just might be one of the very few on the planet who is not. He let someone keep 50k after literally stealing from him, and after all this happened he still didn’t want to leave him with debts. I hope he’s not jaded now.

[@pomps8085]

I remember your previous video on this and was pretty heart warming. I can't believe it ended this way. Good on you for keeping your integrity. These sorts of decisions make or break people

[@darkenemy11]

As 1 of the OG Funder We straight up got screwed over, that the money was gone with the initial funding we don't even care about Its the 180 into crypto that nobody wanted we didn't give him all that money . he even came into our discord a started lying on how he was still in debt and went for the pity me route. we ruined his life he says He did this all to himself. Now he's planning to make an crypto game "anonymously' so look forward to that.

[@chrismanuel9768]

The only thing I can say about this... is I'm glad your health is improving. I hope it stays that way and you keep making your videos for a long time. You're a good dude

[@ivdex2111]

First time I'm posting here and I do this for a good reason: Kira, your integrity is unmatched. You have a backbone made of titan. Being someone missing 'oppurtunities' because of having backbone is something I experienced myself a couple of times. I already loved your content because of your integrity and your style. Now I love the content even more. Stay as you are.

[@Chaedron1]

Glad someone has some journalistic integrity in this world, especially in games journalism, good on you for coming out with your side of the story. This was pretty wild, I feel sorry for Andre though. It sucks having your trust and kindness thrown back in his face like that. And it sucks for other indie developers because I imagine this dude would be more wary when funding projects in the future.

[@rustkitty]

You've shown excellent journalistic practice and integrity here, nothing to blame on your end.

[@ortiznikko]

I appreciate your coming out with this information. I had no stake in this story, but your concern for those that did was evident throughout the video

[@TaelonSHU]

I just wish that every canceled project that's been publicly funded have their source code and workfiles become free to the public or in this case to the large investor. That way atleast some cool looking assets could be reused.

[@ThatMocapGuy]

HHOOOLLYY SHHHIIIIZZZZ. I've been following the TitanReach journey on KiraTV for a while, pre-"golden goose" announcement. and I remember when the announcement for full funding came and thought how LUCKY they were to have that scenario. (I believed in Andre's "no strings attached" stuff because sometimes that's how rich gamer be :D) Unravel absolutely betrayed everyone at every step of the way. He betrayed his fan-base with the NFT swap. He Betrayed Andre by misappropriating funds, he betrayed Kira by trying to buy his silence, and he bretrayed himself for greed. SMFH.

[@GGG_gaming]

I feel like Andre should either sue or ask unravel to sell and return the Tesla and whatever other assets he bought with the money he wasn't given since those are the misappropriation of funds when those funds were for the game development

[@progresque9738]

Damn Kira, so sad you had to get so closely involved without you actually wanting it. But that makes the way you told this story only more impressive. Absolute top bloke.

[@DrJoopyThePsychonaut99]

Kira I dont know if you are reading this, but Andre Cronhe just quit crypto for good as well. He must have felt burned by this as well, but also crypto has been making him feel bad as well since he is one of the worlds most famous devs and people blame him everytime something goes wrong.

[@Gojira_Wins]

I'd like to know how these shady Kickstarter campaigns happen to find angel investors such as Andre. I'm a Game Developer myself and a life changing amount of money would seriously be $50,000. The idea that this Dev had at LEAST 3x that amount a MONTH is mind blowing. I can't imagine even spending that much in one place. Good on Andre for wanting to help someone succeed but it really pains me to see people like him get essentially used as a personal ATM rather than an investor who believes in you more than other people. With or without the money he has at his disposal, I wish there were more Andres in the world.

[@user-rv8yv4yh9n]

I'm absolutely floored by his behavior, you have someone handing you the funding for your dream, no strings attached.. and you steal it

[@TheDevilsGreatestTrick]

I know that a couple others said it already, but I really do hope that Andre doesn't lose his faith in humanity after this. I can't imagine this being an easy vid to make, but God bless you for your integrity Kira. What an absolute nightmare...

[@studiesinflux1304]

Thanks for sharing Another bad mark for the MMORPG unfortunately: On one side there are “AAA” making games that are just good enough to get people hooked on loot boxes or other pay to win, and the other side you have indie dev teams with poor leadership.

[@Hauntaku]

Then you've got indie champs who can create and maintain an MMO for a decade or more. Artix Entertainment are pros.

[@ifandbut]

"Understanding is a three-edged sword." Thank you for that Babylon 5 reference.

[@mikkelfraskui]

I never quite understood the appeal of a generic, stylistically bland, storyless MMO. How it gained traction at all is beyond me. Good, informative video.

[@kinmakin2180]

Its just nostalgia for their childhood where they player runescape with their friends and think they can relive it by playing a game like it.

[@Greg__K]

Some of us don’t care about a cliche story. I’m far more interested in sandbox type games. Plenty of single player games out there. I actually really liked the art style. Low poly graphics can work really well for video games. The game looked clean and didn’t clutter your screen with a bunch or junk. Obviously a preference, but just saying I was really looking forward to every aspect of this game and never played RuneScape.

[@mikkelfraskui]

@@Greg__K There are other options than "cliche story" and "basically no story". I can enjoy games with trash or no story just fine, but it's a question of what the game has going for it. The art style being simplistic and easy on the eyes is one (potentially good) thing, but it just seemed to lack character. Good low poly/fidelity stuff often weighs up for it in other ways, like design or overarching style. I got the impression the game's style was... As generic as you could get? Little to draw the eye and bland item/character design. It's personal preference, I guess, but in an age of new games of great quality, gameplay and craftsmanship being plentiful I don't see why you would play something that lacks most of these qualities. I'm not talking purely about graphics, if I'm being unclear.

[@siubhan2047]

Honour is something incredibly rare these days, but you displayed that today and my respect for you has grown.

[@Artic-Gaming]

Incredibly disappointing. Literally gambling away such an amazing opportunity. At this point I don't even care that the game isn't going to exist since it was going to be full of crypto/NFT garbage, but at least I won't need to worry about whether or not I should re-title my TitanReach series to pre-alpha since there will be nothing else.

[@1ove1ess]

This video is proof I was right to subscribe to your channel. Keep up being you. Your honesty is your strongest asset.

[@TinieMassive]

Crypto is showing people's true nature! The greed of the dwarves with crypto man. Respect Kira, always love your content and look forward to watching your videos every day 👊

[@Hauntaku]

Kira is a champ.

[@shadesmarerik4112]

they dug too deep

[@joshuamorris1851]

I appreciate the honesty over optics. As always Kira, good shit. This one seems like it was one of the hardest you've had to make.

[@Ezz0Clan]

This shits fucking wild man... What a fucking champ and great guy Andrej really was to both this guy and the scammer... Andrej did everything without any selfish motives etc. and promised to fund everything till the game would sustain itself. I'm not even mad about of the Crypto project idea, I wanna see what Blockchain holds for the future. An opportunity of life time, wasted due to a sin, and I'm not even religious. *Edit* Tell Unrvl to sell the Square Root Studio to Andre. If his not willing to run the company tho, he could give one of the developers a chance to do better.

[@Petrigore]

Great reporting man. I've been subscribed for awhile. This isn't a mainstream situation in any way, shape, or form. Just solid reporting on some crazy shit you've been keeping a pulse on.

[@Cretaal]

This is the gamedev equivalent of "I gambled your college fund in Vegas. Won it back twice over, too... then lost everything. Oh well, hope in one hand and shit in the other, amiright?"

[@SYL3NZR]

i do hope andre and people like him continue their gracious pursuits, albeit more carefully, it inspires goodness around the world more than they'd think, but not everyone can make changes like that

[@Sentient.A.I.]

I wonder how many games are destroyed because of mismanagement and shady folks taking money that isnt theirs and other shenanigans.

[@blueboi12jj]

I had my suspicions that you were an individual with a lot of integrity and this just proves it. I appreciate your honesty and transparency despite not being involved in the project, but it’s good to know that I watch your content consistently lately and I’m supporting a content creator that has my best interest 🙏🏼

[@harveyflippers9531]

I have a sneaking suspicion that the original crowdfunding MAY have “ran out” for potentially similar reasons as well. Can we get any confirmations that this wasn’t the case?

[@ilarinikkarikoski4765]

Solid question.

[@LetoAtreides82]

Wouldn't surprise me.

[@miklov]

Very interesting story. Crazy how someone have such a good chance to make their dream game and then just mess up like that, but makes a good cautionary tale. Interesting point near the end about how money can change you. I think we all like to think that we would be immune to this but I do think about it. What if one of my projects panned out and gave my a large financial headroom, how would I cling to my principles? Human greed is kinda fascinating, I imagine it can become a fixation similar to OCD, but then I am no psychologist, just shooting from the hip here.

[@waidixon8965]

It's so rare that an investor actually cares about the game they fund, and such a genuinely honest and passionate person being scammed like this, twice in fact, is just pure tragedy.

[@jackalo34]

I know this isn't related to the video, but congratz in pushing through lte dstage cancer. I had a stroke myself 3 yrs ago and still struggle with the aftereffects to this day so I have overwhelming empathy for anyone going through health struggles especially when you're younger than expected and doctors are dumbfounded.