Three years ago (wow!), the creator of everyone’s favorite shipping fodder/extreme character death simulator/MS Paint webcomic Homestuck raised over two million dollars to fund an adventure game named Hiveswap. The Kickstarter set a goal of June 2014 for a release date, and as can clearly be seen, we’ve moved well past that mark with little to no indication the game is anywhere near finished. As relayed by Tumblr user and occasional Homestuck artist ipgd, the reasons behind the delay are more extensive than previously thought.
Originally, Hiveswap was being developed by company The Odd Gentlemen, obviously with funds raised by the Kickstarter. However, it appears that The Odd Gentlemen took this money and instead funneled it into the development of King’s Quest and possibly Neil Gaiman’s Wayward Manor. As a result, creator Andrew Hussie’s company What Pumpkin has been forced to terminate the contract and must instead build the game in-house from the ground up, lacking the full funding they previously possessed.
According to ipgd, the game “isn’t in any danger of falling through,” despite the extensive problems faced by the development staff. So far, there’s been no real reaction by Sierra or Activision to the reports that Kings Quest has been developed with embezzled funds. Regardless, it’s reassuring for fans to know what’s been going on with such an anticipated release, especially when these details have been kept in the dark.
