“We’ve been quiet about it until now, but Badland Games ripped us… Here are some of the details”- Axiom Verge
In a series of 14 tweets, Dan Adelman from Axiom Verge has exposed the game publisher Badland Games for stealing money through deception.
Badland Games is the publisher that Axiom decided to partner with in an effort to release a physical version of their MetroidVania style game from 2015.
Daniel Adelman is the business manager for Axiom Verge and shared the story behind getting the game published.
It's frustrating to see @BadLand_Publish tweet about new games they're releasing, no doubt funded with the money they owe LRG and Tom Happ. Badland has literally stolen money from a disabled toddler. [14/14]
— Dan Adelman (@Dan_Adelman) March 15, 2019
According to Adelman, he and Tom Happ, the developer behind Axiom Verge, had been approached by a number of companies interested in trying to produce a physical version of Axiom Verge for various platforms.
They eventually decided to go with BadLand because of the special deal that was being offered.
In the announcement for the Wii U physical version of the game, Limited Run said that BadLand owes it $78,000 for physical copies of the game that it never delivered.
After that, Adelman said that BadLand has not paid Tom Happ a sum that it believes to be around $200,000—including money that was intended to go into a special medical fund to help pay for treatments for Happ’s young son.
Badland made us an offer we couldn't refuse. In addition to matching what other publishers were offering in terms of rev share, they said they'd contribute 75% of their cut to a trust fund set up for Alastair Happ's ongoing medical expenses. [4/14]
— Dan Adelman (@Dan_Adelman) March 15, 2019
This situation if further complicated since Badland Games in located in Spain which makes this lawsuit an international exchange.
We've filed a lawsuit against them, but because of the international nature of the suit, it's proving hard to make headway. [12/14]
— Dan Adelman (@Dan_Adelman) March 15, 2019
Limiteed Run Games has offered its support and encourages people to spread the word about this situation.
We'll be there as well if anyone from IGN needs a comment. We'd love to see this situation get more coverage so everyone involved might eventually see repayment.
— Limited Run Games (@LimitedRunGames) March 15, 2019
Limited Run will be releasing the Multiverse Edition of Axiom Verge on March 29 for Wii U.
What do you think about this situation? Let us know in the comments.