If he was ill he could have just told us. I think we would have been understanding for the most part... Especially if he gave us regular updates and definitely if he refunded the preorders.
And did you say the end of 2020 before coding even starts? that's nearly two years, plus dev time of at least a few months. So why tell us now and make the same mistake he did? It would have been much better to at least come back with a full fledged game, free for those that preordered stuff in the past, maybe even under a different name. I think he overestimated how desperate we really were for new games, as even we have our breaking point. Pun semi intended...

I'm not offended that he's making mainstream games, because it's a smart move financially, but I am offended that he left us in the dust without even the decency of a half assed explanation.

Look guys, we're back! And when we got some more money from you, we will stop, and disappearing for like 5 years or so more!

Hi!
There are two conclusions to be drawn here:
1. Douglas is obviously a troll. I mean, come on, development work will continue when Douglas has learned how to code? How much need for attention can one possibly have?
2. Even if the claims were credible, if this thread is at all representative of the community then this is not a community worth returning to. What do I mean by this? No matter what someone has done, showering him with a bad reputation shitstorm is not exactly a motivation to come clean. It's childish. We're not talking about large companies here but about individuals. Individuals with feelings, personal lives, and loads of problems. This is not some organized scam, even if some people feel scammed. Here's what this is: It's someone who lost control over the ghosts he summoned.
Yes I am aware these are harsh words but they had to be said. As you can tell I'm a bit angry at the immaturity going on here.
Back to meaningful things,
EG

31. I have to respectfully disagree. Let me explain why.

When you sell a product whether you are an individual or a business, you are expected to do certain things. You are expected to deliver orders in a timely fashion. You are also expected to communicate with customers on any delays or issues.
By offering a pre order and not following through either timely or at all, it is in essence stealing. On several ocasions Jake has been asked about the status of games. He has given cagy answers and down right fabrications. He has also promised a number of things that have never been delivered upon. See the posts from numbers of people who never got their games or who pre ordered games in progress and essentially lost money.
Post 20 hit me hard because as a developer I work extra hard to make sure that if I am accepting money that the product is finished in a timely fashion.
Interesting legal note. As a soul proprietor here in the US, if a suit is brought against your DBA (doing business as) name, you can actually be sued for personal wealth as it is considered to be part of your company. This is why I will never buy for a minute the statement that people who sell products should be treated differently than larger companies. You are providing a payed service or product to customers. You have responsibilities. If you don't think you can fulfill them, then you need to get out of the game.
I will say that the people who shouldn't be judged harshly are the people who make games for free or who are learning. But once the exchange of currency is involved then you have stepped up in to the big time and have to act accordingly.

Speaking of undelivered promises, anyone remember those amiibo like figures he was going to make for his games? This is why some people just shouldn't make games. They get ideas, and can't follow through on them, and forget about the old ones when they suddenly get new amazing ideas, and the cycle continues until you have situations like the one we see with jake. It's james north all over again. Even down to him running away with people's money.

Communication is key, as a business, if something happens to delay the launch of a game, especially one where currency has already been exchanged in the form of preorders, you really should be telling your customers. Then to repeat that pattern several times, it's indicative of a larger problem.