Tangiers, the artistically-driven stealth project employing a 20th-century avant-garde aesthetic, is in trouble. In a recent update posted to the game’s Kickstarter page, developer Alex Harvey is perfectly transparent as he details the financial difficulties facing the project.
Apparently, the additional funding necessitated by the game’s delay fell through, and so Tangiers had to switch to its back-up plan. However, something has gone awry in the working out of this second arrangement, and the developer is set to receive just 20% of the amount expected.
How exactly will this affect the project? Harvey asserts that his team has just enough money to get the project to its beta stage and then on to release. However, the team would be working extremely hard on the slimmest of budgets, a situation he believes would be unethical. Moreover, it would hardly do any favours in regard to Tangiers‘ quality.
Therefore, Harvey is pursuing other options. He does not consider failure to be an option, feeling he owes the 2,072 backers who put £42,006 into the project. As problematic as this situation is, it’s reassuring to see the developer so determined to put things right, and Harvey’s upfront transparency is commendable. Backers should never be kept in the dark.
Here’s hoping Tangiers pulls through. It’s certainly a unique-looking project, and I’m all for artistically-driven games that strive to do something different. What happens next will depend on whether Harvey is able to secure some kind of additional funding for the project. We’ll be sure to keep you updated should anything come about. For more on Tangiers, check out our previous coverage.
