Onyx Path Cancels LegendLore Kickstarter Partway Through Citing COVID-19

Half-funded, Onyx Path has cancelled the Kickstarter for its upcoming D&D 5E version of the LegendLore comics because of the current pandemic sweeping the world.

James Bell says in a Kickstarter post: "We even thought that we could run this Kickstarter like normal since it's online, our crew is online, and you folks and other potential backers are all online. But we really can't do much of anything normally these days, and trying to push forward with this KS in the face of the seriousness of how all our lives have been affected seems like trying to dive into a tidal wave while hoping to swim out the other side."

There have been multiple convention cancellations and postponements due to the Coronavirus, and it seems this is now spreading to game production itself. Critical Role suspended broadcasts, UK Games Expo is postponed, GaryCon has been cancelled, as has Steve Jackson Games' FnordCon. Fantasy Flight Games has suspended all Organized Play. Asmodee US has delayed all new releases until May 1st, including those from Fantasy Flight Games.

PaizoCon and Origins are still going ahead at present.

Onyx Path will be relaunching the Kickstarter later in the year.

 

[billd91]

I was wondering about cancelling an online thing, myself, but a little more thought into it and I can see them wanting to wait and see if the economy picks up again once Covid-19 recedes. That might give them a better chance at being successfully funded.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

The skinny cow years are just going to start. This means lot of people will not can to spend money for their hobbies because they will have to save. This is like the economic crack from the 1929 year.

And in the next months lots of offices and companies will have to be closed for the quarantine.

If we are luck and God wants it, this will be better in the summer when hotter temperatures should help to stop this epidemic.

 

[Cergorach]

Honestly, with this particular IP and the situation that was already developing, launching the 12th wasn't the smartest thing they ever did. The results speak for themselves, not even half way there after a week and a half. I suspect that currently launching new KS will not be very smart, backing them might not be either. We have no clue whether or not those companies will be able to deliver in 1-2 years...

@LuisCarlos17f It absolutely depends in which market your operating, there are still many companies doing good business, more will adapt. Many will fold, in other markets, how much that affects the economy is currently like watching a crystal ball. You can't compare 1929 with 2020. Not the situation, not the economy, not the technology.

As for heat and cold, the last couple of days and the next week or so it's colder then the previous month over here...

I'm working in IT and I'm seeing that a ton of folks are having trouble getting used to working from home. They don't have the discipline (yet), family gets in the way, etc. It might take a few weeks or a few months for folks to get back into a more relaxed attitude after adapting to the new situation. And I suspect that most gaming groups figure, no groups in person means no RPGs, so why buy new ones? What I've seen of the VTT solutions they are still pretty jank compared to what we expected to see a decade or two ago...

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I guess I am allowed to say this: I am Spanish and I fear the worst, because... here we haven't chosen the right person for this crisis. Spain may be worse than China or Italy, and I am not kidding at all. The tourism industry is very importat for our economy, and lots of bars/pubs or discotheques will not open again. Who will want to go to cinema or theaters, for example?

These are going to be very hard for (no-online) enternaiment industry. The production of movies or videogames are going to be stopped because people can't go to work. We don't know when it is going to end.
A writter or a scripter can work in his home, but the book-shops will not be opened yet to can sell his new title.

 

[Cergorach]

I don't want to go into politics, but the economic forecasts for Spain has been bad, even before the current crisis. Pedro Sánchez is there since June 2018, economic decline has happened since 2015. But 2009-2013 there was actual negative economic growth. The current crisis won't make it any better...

The production of videogames shouldn't be stopped, that is a perfect work from home job (unless we're talking about motion capture animation. Movies could be seriously impacted, but again, great opportunities for (digital) animation. I suspect that quite a few voice actors will invest in home studio's (which they'll have to build themselves)...

People can still order online, and here delivery is still done. I suspect that the coming months a ton of tablets and e-readers will be sold. The issue isn't so much economic (although that isn't great either), it's cultural. What I've gathered is that why things are so bad in Italy is that there's a lot of old folks living within multi-generational families under a single roof. Combine that with a work culture where working from home is anathema, and you have quickly a very bad situation. When I compare the Netherlands to Germany (a country with almost 5x the population) They have 6x the infections, but only half the number of deaths. It's very difficult to make many predictions, it won't be good, but how bad it'll be is just a TON of guesswork.

People need to change and the issue is that most folks have the mentality of "CHANGE!?!? Over my dead body!" and in this case, it can be arranged and not many folks really get that yet... But when I walk my dog, I see people still gathering in the distance at skateboard courts, on some street corners, etc. Last week the only infected person in my town was someone that thought that it would be a good idea to vacation in Italy with her family when this started... How stupid and risk-seeking can someone be?

 

[EthanSental]

Just saw Diamond comic distributors aren’t shipping new comics around the first of April here in the states....that’s going to be hard for small shop owners to stay open if they are depending on new comic sales every week to keep the lights on.

 

[Carmen Sbordone]

Just saw Diamond comic distributors aren’t shipping new comics around the first of April here in the states....that’s going to be hard for small shop owners to stay open if they are depending on new comic sales every week to keep the lights on.

Its hard for comic shops to stay open when governors are telling folks to stay home and closung nonessential businesses. A few stores were talking about returning product, not worrying about getting new product

 

[doctorhook]

This should go without saying, but at this point everyone’s goal should be to STAY. THE. (HELL). HOME. Don’t go to your comic store. It’s not worth it!

This is how we’re gonna beat this thing: slow down the rate of new infections until a treatment is devised. Wash your hands often and thoroughly! Don’t touch your face! Cough into your elbow! And stay home!

Be safe, folks.

 

[EthanSental]

Agreed to both posts after mine. It’s non essential for sure. I wonder if the digital stuff ends up delayed at some point on comiXology. How much side job related besides, writer, artist, colorer, letterer and editor are needed in this digital age of comics to get the comic produced for the comiXology platform.