The developer of the indie adventure RPG The Outbound Ghost (opens in new tab) asks followers not to buy the game on any platform as it currently does not meet the quality standards he expects. He has also halted sales of the game on Steam – the only platform where he says it was snuff – and is threatening legal action against publisher Digerati, who he says refuses to return control of the game to him.
After a successful Kickstarter (opens in new tab) campaign in 2021, the PC version of The Outbound Ghost launched on Steam in September to mostly positive reviews. However, the game’s console releases, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, had issues. On December 1, Digigerati said that the Switch version “pending an update (opens in new tab)and missing additional languages. On December 4, Digerati tweeted another statement acknowledging the ongoing performance issues with The Outbound Ghost on the Switch.
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On December 8, Digerati released a third statement stating that while the PlayStation editions of the game had already been patched twice (including a day one patch), the Switch patch was still under review by Nintendo. Any users experiencing issues with The Outbound Ghost can @ or DM us wrote (opens in new tab). You can rest assured that we listen to all of your feedback.
“Digerati has released over 50 different titles on console, and launches with situations like this are the exception. We remain committed to making further improvements to The Outbound Ghost as soon as possible.”
Outbound Ghost developer Conradical Games, however, was unhappy with Digigerati’s handling of the situation. Shortly after the Switch version went live, lead developer Conrad Grindheim said he was not in control of the launch, but accused the publisher of releasing an unapproved and presumably unfinished build of the game.
“The Outbound Ghost was released yesterday on PlayStation 4/5 and today on Nintendo Switch. I’ve already received some disturbing reports about its performance,” Grindheim said in a statement. pronunciation (opens in new tab) released on Dec 1.
“I never wanted this version of the game to come out, but due to circumstances beyond my control, this is the one that was released. I am making every effort to have the relevant parties correct their mistakes, and I will keep you all informed as much as possible.”
The situation seemed to hold until December 5, when Digigerati put The Outbound Ghost on sale for 25% off on Steam. That prompted a new statement from Conradical Games, which announced the price cut on December 6.wasn’t my fault (opens in new tab)and not approved by the studio.
Yesterday, December 8, Grindheim posted a video update threatening legal action against Digerati unless it hands over control of The Outbound Ghost, across all platforms, to him.
“The past few weeks have been incredibly stressful due to many factors, but the main reason is that my relationship with the game’s publisher has broken down,” said Grindheim. “But they are refusing to return control of the relevant pages and are taking advantage of the situation. We are studying the appropriate legal action to resolve this situation and protect the game.
“The console issues outlined in my socials recently are just the beginning. There will be a lot more coming out about the breaches soon. For now, I recommend you don’t buy a publicly available version of The Outbound Ghost, as it won’t meet the quality standards of the games I make and that you expect from me.”
Grindheim advised anyone unhappy with the state of The Outbound Ghost to seek a refund, saying that once the issue is resolved, he plans to self-publish “an improved version” of the game. He also promised that Kickstarter backers will receive all the rewards they pledged for during the game, “as well as additional rewards to make up for the situation.”
Along with the statements and responses to owners on social media, Grindheim also took a knife to The Outbound Ghost’s Steam page (opens in new tab). It has been removed from sale and has also been renamed “This game is no longer authorized by the developer.” All screens and trailers have been removed from the page, and the game description and system requirements have also disappeared. The most recent Steam update (opens in new tab)posted on Dec 8, has no text outside of the title, which is the same as the ‘new’ game name: This game is no longer authorized by the developer.
That move prompted Digerati, who had previously limited his communications to status updates on The Outbound Ghost, to address the dispute with Conradical.
A statement about the current situation regarding our recently published title ‘The Outbound Ghost’. pic.twitter.com/niYsH0dJHODecember 9, 2022
“We’ve been largely silent for the past few days because we’ve been blindsided by the sudden negativity from Conrad, the game’s developer,” said Digerati owner Sarah Alfieri. “We had enjoyed a cooperative and mutually enjoyable working relationship with Conrad until literally hours before the console’s launch, and saw no indication of any dissatisfaction on his part.”
Alfieri said Digerati provided funding for The Outbound Ghost after the Kickstarter campaign was successful so Grindheim could work on the project full-time. In return, Grindheim licensed the distribution rights to Digigerati. However, after the launch of the console, he “falsely told us that he is ending the contract”.
“In addition, Conrad unlawfully tampered with the Steam page and attempted to remove the console versions as well,” Alfieri said.
“Our goal is to support The Outbound Ghost and has always been to support our developers. We are actively trying to make improvements and release patches, and we have repeatedly tried to sabotage our efforts and tarnish our name.”
Despite the problem, Alfieri said Digerati hopes to find a solution with Grindheim and continue to support the game in partnership with him. How likely that will happen remains to be seen: Grindheim hasn’t tweeted about the game or Digerati since his December 8 statement. Grindheim told PC Gamer, as he said in his video statement, that he is “examining appropriate legal action to resolve this situation and protect the game.” I have reached out to Digigerati for comment and will update if I receive a response.
