Um: Areal Devs Are At It Again, With STALKER Apocalypse
"Stalker is just a word"
See this here? This is a bargepole. It is, I would say, approximately ten feet long. What I'm doing with this bargepole is very deliberately not touching something with it. Even if said bargepole were a hundred feet long, I would still be very deliberately not touching something with it. That something is a crowdfunding attempt for a game called 'STALKER Apocalypse.' The people making it previously tried to make a game called Areal.
Yeah, the Areal that got abruptly pulled down from Kickstarter because it made all kinds of dodgy promises about being a spiritual S.T.A.L.K.E.R. sequel. "Stalker is just a word", apparently. Uh.
West Games are back, and apparently unbowed after a storm of criticism which involved accusations of misrepresentation, controversial investors and allegedly passing off others' work as their own. They claim they've "refocused our vision" and after consulting with their fans are making a Unreal 4-powered STALKER Apocalypse with singleplayer and multiplayer, "and plenty of familiar elements that will undoubtedly please our fans."
Barge pole. Very, very long barge pole. Not touching with it.
They want $600,000, and their campaign to get it runs until March, but rather revealingly they are not on Kickstarter. They are on 'World Wide Funder.' At present they have $150, but it only launched an hour ago.
Look, here's the link, but this is in the spirit of information, not recommendation. Big old barge pole, remember?
And here's the video. Bargepole bargepole bargepole.
Lots of promises, unabashed use of the Stalker name and concept, although they don't in fact have the rights to the old GSC license: "We have registered a trademark for Stalker Apocalypse, and have every right to use it as our title. Stalker by itself is a common word, and anyone can use it."
...
Is this how the lawyers at Bethesda felt about Scrolls?
But look, they've made a particle effect and everything:
Well, there it is. There. It. Is. Maybe it's all above board this time. I mean, it would be wantonly foolish to attempt the same dodgy thing twice.
Wouldn't it?
*Hugs bargepole*