You know, we get a lot of scams on Kickstarter. It’s bound to happen on a platform where you can ask people to pay for your product before you’ve even made it. But sometimes we get some truly magical attempts. Enter Alien: Terraforma. Just check out this Kickstarter page.

A few thoughts may enter your mind as you watch that campaign video. Firstly: “Huh, I don’t think you can just use that PEGI opening without actually getting a rating from them first.” Secondly: “Wait, this… looks a bit familiar.” And then, the realization sets in: “Oh my God they literally just ripped a Colonial Marines trailer from Gamespot and uploaded it here as their campaign video.”

The description isn’t any more helpful. It states they want to make a short movie and a “PS” game. The entire thing is basically: “We want to make an Alien movie and game. We have really cool rewards.”

Really cool rewards… hmm… oh, yeah. The reward tiers are all hand-made Alien collectibles. The two updates on the page are pictures of said collectibles that read like advertisements.

Let’s check out developer James Chapman’s official Facebook page and… yep. This whole thing isn’t even a Kickstarter project. It’s an attempt to draw people to his Facebook page where he sells overpriced “Aliens Movie Props”.

I’m not sure I understand this. If you want to advertise your collectibles, fine. But like, wouldn’t literally any other platform be better? Reddit, for example? eBay? Twitter? At the very least, come clean on your campaign page. Just straight up say, “Hey, I’m trying to get you to look at my collectibles. Please consider buying them.”

The replicas look cool, but based on this Kickstarter page I’m automatically going to assume they aren’t legit, no matter how much you assure me they are “the most ultra-cool” you can produce. This is just bad press for you, my dude.

As of now, Aliens: Terraforma—bafflingly, you might agree—has 0 backers. I can’t imagine why.

About the Author

David Lins

David Lins is a freelance writer from Pennsylvania that has loved video games since he was old enough to hold a controller. He enjoys all sorts of games, but prefers difficult or terrifying ones. Currently, he plays too many roguelikes. When not writing about his favorite hobby, he loves to drink beer, write fiction, play tabletop RPGs or board games, and hang out with his friends and family. He also has a passion for technology and loves tinkering with his phone, computer, and other devices. Follow David on Twitter for “hilarious” or “insightful” tweets about nothing in particular.

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