Rainbow Six: Siege board game backers furious after Mythic Games asks for more money to finish production

Frustrated Kickstarter backers of a board game based on popular online shooter Rainbow Six: Siege are up in arms after developer Mythic Games told them to plough more money into the project in order to finish the game.

6: Siege raised more than $1.5m from close to 11,000 backers in July 2021, with an estimated delivery date of June the following year.

Despite now running almost a year over that schedule, Mythic Games is still yet to launch production of the game – and has just informed backers they will need to pay up to $249 depending on their pledge level in order to receive the game at the new expected delivery date of October this year.

Mythic is blaming Covid and the war in Ukraine for prices having “literally exploded in all areas”, saying its Kickstarter estimates were “no longer relevant”.

It said the cost of paper and cardboard had risen by an average of 50% to 100%, Chinese labor costs had doubled and energy, plastic and raw materials increased in price by almost half.

But the company also admitted that, “We spent much more than expected in the development of the game, with more people than we expected working on it and longer than we originally estimated (which caused extra costs, but also has the advantage of having an optimal, well-tested, varied and balanced game in the end).”

Core pledge backers are being asked for an extra $39 on top of the $69 they initially paid to back the game – but are also being asked for more money on top to cover increased shipping for the game and any add-ons they purchased, on top of the shipping they have already paid.

At the top end of the scale, the ‘Smooth Operator’ backers who paid $269 for the premium, all-in version of the game, $120 for the add-on pack and $65 for shipping are being asked for an extra $245.

Mythic said in an update to backers, “We need a sufficient commitment rate to be able to start printing and we will keep you informed of the commitment rate after the two-week period.

“If we do not reach the commitment rate, we commit to reimburse all contributors for these additional costs by the amount of their contribution minus the bank fees (which we will not have collected.

“At the end of the fundraising period, if we have reached the minimum commitment to go into production, we will start printing. According to our printing and logistics partners, the games and expansions will be delivered in one wave only from estimated October this year.

“If you are unwilling or unable to pay, you will not receive your game in October. We will remain open to other possibilities to deliver to you by monitoring the evolution of prices, even if it seems very unlikely that they will decrease in the coming months. It is therefore an important and even decisive choice that you have to make today.”

Unsuprisingly, many backers have been contacting Mythic to demand refunds – but reimbursement details in the company’s update do not bode well for all of those hoping to get their money back.

The update said, “We continue to make refunds for all our projects as we are able. These refunds are made in chronological order of the requests received by email to our customer service support@mythicgames.net and according to a capped amount revised each month.

“These refunds will continue as long as they do not jeopardize the delivery of the projects.”

This is not the first time Mythic has gone back to Kickstarter supporters asking for more money to compete one of its games.

Last July the company told Kickstarter backers of Darkest Dungeon – another title based on a hit video game – that they would need to commit between $18 and $69 depending on their pledge level to ensure the game was produced.

More than 80% of Darkest Dungeon backers paid the extra contribution according to Mythic, which again had blamed Covid and the Ukraine war for rising shipping, delivery and raw materials costs.

BoardGameWire has contacted Mythic Games for further comment on the situation.