Crowdfunding and independent game development have proven to be something of a double-edged sword. On one hand, you have Shovel Knight: it's a game that never would have been picked up by major publishers, but thanks to fans, it was one of the best games of 2014. On the other hand, you have Mighty No. 9: what started out as the poster child for crowdfunding has been delayed over and over again, leaving fans high and dry without anything to show for the money they donated.
Unfortunately, Ant Simulator looks like it'll fall into the latter category: according to Eric Tereshinski, the game has been outright canceled ... and it's not because of something as simple as technical difficulties or artistic differences, either.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Tereshinski claims that the vast majority of Ant Simulator's funding - including money raised by fans during Tereshinski's personal crowdfunding campaign - has been spent. Not on development, or marketing - no, according to Tereshinski himself, most of the game's funding has been spent on booze, parties and strippers.
For those unaware, Ant Simulator was an upcoming VR-enabled title that lived up to its name: players would take on the role of worker ants in an effort to maintain their colony and queen. It sounds bizarre, sure, but it's hardly the weirdest game out there - plus, a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign had seemingly helped publish a game that most major studios would have scoffed at.
Sadly, it seems as if that's no longer the case. Tereshinski's video doesn't leave much room for hope in regard to Ant Simulator's future - and, in a comment posted to his testimonial, it doesn't seem like Tereshinski has much to fall back on, either.
"A lot of people are telling me to seek legal advice. I have. The problem is that these guys covered their asses in the contract. They'll say the drinks were for business meetings, and they have the paperwork/minutes to prove they had meetings (even though I know they were bullshit meetings).
"I could try to sue them, yes. The problem is that the most likely outcome is that things will end up more or less the same as they are now.... Cutting ties with them is just faster, simpler, and safer. Besides, I'm really damn good at making games. I will make other games. They won't."
To play the devil's advocate, the stories of drinking and strippers are based off one man's claim ... and there isn't much in the way of proof, save for Tereshinski's word. To that end, there is a possibility that the stories of Ant Simulator's cancellation - and the reasons behind it - aren't necessarily accurate.
Even so, the video makes a strong case for Tereshinski's side of the story. It's clear that the man has lost something dear to him. While it may be easy for some to play it all off as 'a game about ants,' it's sad to hear about any artist losing their work - regardless of what that work may be.
We'll update this story as new information becomes available. For now, it seems as if Ant Simulator has been canceled. If you helped fund the game, expect to receive refund instructions in the near future.
