Star Citizen - The E.L.E.

[Backer42]

How about this:

Bank grabs the IP and assets and sells it off to some Chinese/Korean developer without any of the liabilities. They use those to create some F2P game for their local market, not caring about what happened in the West.

Chris Roberts tells his followers "teh evil bank robbed my game" and parachutes out. The End.

[FredBloggs]

How about this:

Bank grabs the IP and assets and sells it off to some Chinese/Korean developer without any of the liabilities. They use those to create some F2P game for their local market, not caring about what happened in the West.

Chris Roberts tells his followers "teh evil bank robbed my game" and parachutes out. The End.

Then Kim-Jon-Un appears and nukes Chris Roberts.. the End. LOL

[Orgetorix]

Maybe, but there is another possibility that might be worth considering. This is pure speculation on my part, but what if there is massive money laundering being perpetrated through the grey market, that Croberts and crew is fully aware of. Now what if one of those in the know doesn't feel like going to the Pen for it, and is in active talks with Law Enforcement to turn states evidence to get his hiney out of the wringer. If that's the case then it'll be a one day event. Feds walk in and seize everything from CIG/RSI and all subsidiaries halting all operations. 

Pure speculation I know, but you never know with the way this shit show is being handled.

[N0mad]

My personal feeling is that this is going to end in very much the same manner as 38 Studios end. It's going to look like they're holding it together, then the next week payroll, and loan repayments aren't going to be made. Then outside Federal, State, and Bank Agencies are going to descend like a cloud of flies on a pile of steaming shit.

I could be wrong, and they might downsize first, cut costs, with senior execs putting in their own money to cover funding short falls. With the goal of releasing an MVP, so they can call it job completed. I don't think that will happen though; I don't see Croberts Ego allowing him to do anything other then to fly straight into the ground doing Mach 5.

Agreed. These things only ever end suddenly and without any warning (especially without warning for the poor employees). If there is any attempt to downsize (without a VERY good reason), even trying to do it quietly, then the critics will get word and then the media and then the backers will start refunding etc. then it really will collapse even if they were OK.

CR has bitten off far more than he can chew with this project. I suspect he's the sort of guy who can't stand back and let more competent people take charge. If CIG were thinking straight then they'd be rushing out a Minimal Viable Product with just the bare bones of everything in the pledges to avoid any legal issues. There seems to be no sign that this is happening, just more ships! When the ELE does eventually happen (I'm not holding my breath) I can't wait to hear the inside story of what CR (and his wife) were like to work with !!!

A bit off topic, but where have all you newbies (newer than me) come from? Was it GamesCom or Serendipity which made you all start posting? Nice to see you all anyway!

[Motto]

It really doesn't matter. As soon as there are public signs of money problems, the stream of cash into CIG will stop. The uproar will be so high that even if people were laundering money, they'll stop too because of the exposure risc. So Chris might continue on a few fumes and by cutting big on expenses to avoid personal liability (his Kickstarter promises) but in the end he has to give up since everybody knows that he doesn't have the money to bring the game online and keep it running. And it'll be so poisoned that nobody would dare to touch SC. The thought of being held accountable for those 158m would scare even the devil himself away.

Nope, this game is over  :D

[FredBloggs]

It really doesn't matter. As soon there a public signs of money problems, the stream of cash into CIG will stop. The uproar will be so high that even if people where laundering money, they'll stop too because of the exposure risc. So Chris might continue on a few fumes and by cutting big on expenses to avoid personal liability (his Kickstarter promises) but in the end he has to give up since everybody knows that he doesn't have the money to bring the game online and keep it running. And it'll be so poisened that nobody would dare to touch SC. The thought of being held accountable for those 158m would scare even the devil himself away.

Nope, this game is over  :D

I'm not sure that even public displays of money problems will stop the morons still sending money. You can't reason with their blind faith.

[Orgetorix]

It really doesn't matter. As soon there a public signs of money problems, the stream of cash into CIG will stop. The uproar will be so high that even if people where laundering money, they'll stop too because of the exposure risc. So Chris might continue on a few fumes and by cutting big on expenses to avoid personal liability (his Kickstarter promises) but in the end he has to give up since everybody knows that he doesn't have the money to bring the game online and keep it running. And it'll be so poisened that nobody would dare to touch SC. The thought of being held accountable for those 158m would scare even the devil himself away.

Nope, this game is over  :D

For Croberts it does matter, if he can confine his liabilities to purely civil in nature then he'll be out cash, but will avoid jail time. Now if shady criminal activity comes to light, Feds step in, evidence is seized, and people go to jail for a long time.

You're right though the game is over, but no matter how I look at the situation do I see no one going to jail over this.

[Backer42]

Agreed. These things only ever end suddenly and without any warning (especially without warning for the poor employees). If there is any attempt to downsize (without a VERY good reason), even trying to do it quietly, then the critics will get word and then the media and then the backers will start refunding etc. then it really will collapse even if they were OK.

Often towards the end there will be some optimism with some problems disappearing before the cash suddenly runs out.

A bit off topic, but where have all you newbies (newer than me) come from? Was it GamesCom or Serendipity which made you all start posting? Nice to see you all anyway!

I'm from the FDev forums and came here to discuss the crowdfunding financials of the game, which are considered off topic over there.

[dsmart]

It really doesn't matter. As soon there a public signs of money problems, the stream of cash into CIG will stop. The uproar will be so high that even if people where laundering money, they'll stop too because of the exposure risc. So Chris might continue on a few fumes and by cutting big on expenses to avoid personal liability (his Kickstarter promises) but in the end he has to give up since everybody knows that he doesn't have the money to bring the game online and keep it running. And it'll be so poisened that nobody would dare to touch SC. The thought of being held accountable for those 158m would scare even the devil himself away.

Nope, this game is over  :D

For Croberts it does matter, if he can confine his liabilities to purely civil in nature then he'll be out cash, but will avoid jail time. Now if shady criminal activity comes to light, Feds step in, evidence is seized, and people go to jail for a long time.

You're right though the game is over, but no matter how I look at the situation do I see no one going to jail over this.

We've been discussing this over on SA. If there's malfeasance involved, that ties into wire fraud. The latter is very broad and is usually used to send people to jail over financial crimes. That's why I keep saying that I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone doesn't go to jail over there. There's just too much money involved, and too many BAD & SHADY PEOPLE involved, for it to all be squeaky clean. I just don't believe that.

[Motto]

That's why I keep saying that I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone doesn't go to jail over there.

You sure about that statement? Looks to me there's one to many negatives there  :smuggo:

[Orgetorix]

A bit off topic, but where have all you newbies (newer than me) come from? Was it GamesCom or Serendipity which made you all start posting? Nice to see you all anyway!

I've been following SC off and on since the first Kickstarter. I would have pledged if I didn't live out in the boonies, and only have Satellite Internet. Ever try playing an online game with 1000+ ping? Doesn't work too well.

I checked in 6 months ago, and saw the shit show that this project was in, and promptly begin to study it in depth; read everything related to it. The last year and half before that I was researching $cientology. Before that the shit show that was MWO was very entertaining, glad that Piranha finally pulled their heads out of their asses on that one, and started to deliver on what they had promised. I just get on a subject and gnaw it to the bone. 

I first started posting here because to my eye Croberts is a quintessential psychopath. Not the axe murdering/serial killer kind, but the low life, bullying, charming, lieing, scamming scammer type. I'd be surprised if on a properly administered PCL by a qualified and experienced clinician (Which I am not). He would score at least a 25+. I was hoping to get a discussion going to break down the SC scam, and firmly identify the traits that lead to shit shows like this, so that everyone reading would understand why this became what it has become.

The similarities between $cientology and Star Citizen are legion. The same moronic defenses Sciebots use to defend $cientology are so similar to the moronic defense that Shitzens use that it literally makes my hair stand on end. Look at people like Serendipity/Confused Monkay, how can you have such Cognitive Dissonance to come here and literally waste your life defending a lie?

"I have high hopes of smashing my name into history so violently that it will take a legendary form.... That goal is the real goal as far as I am concerned."
    -- L. Ron Hubbard, writing to the first of his three wives in 1938, more than a decade before he created Scientology.   

Is that not Croberts again in a nutshell...

[Orgetorix]

We've been discussing this over on SA. If there's malfeasance involved, that tires into wire fraud. The latter is very broad and is usually used to send people to jail over financial crimes. That's why I keep saying that I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone doesn't go to jail over there. There's just too much money involved, and too many BAD & SHADY PEOPLE involved, for it to all be squeaky clean. I just don't believe that.

You're absolutely right, Wire Fraud is a very broad statue, which will undoubtedly be used. No matter what, if and when the criminal legal hammer falls there will be people rolling over to save their own asses from the fire. Then and only then will any backer ever get the disclosure and accountability that they were promised in the beginning.

[StanTheMan]

Are you MrFlappyWilly Serendipity by any chance?

It could be CEO of Pfizer, who refuses to take his own medicine.

[Orgetorix]

Are you MrFlappyWilly Serendipity by any chance?

It could be CEO of Pfizer, who refuses to take his own medicine.

 

[dsmart]

That's why I keep saying that I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone doesn't go to jail over there.

You sure about that statement? Looks to me there's one to many negatives there  :smuggo:

I'm on mobile, so I'm allowed  :argh:  :lol: