Chained Echoes Developer Plans Legal Action Over Unfulfilled Physical Copy Agreement

Launched on Kickstarter in 2019 and hitting digital platforms in 2022, the retro RPG Chained Echoes has been celebrated by fans for its nostalgic nod to classics like Chrono Trigger, while carving out its own unique narrative. However, Matthias Linda, the solo developer behind Chained Echoes and the studio Umami Tiger, has announced he is ending his partnership with First Press Games and is preparing to take legal action against them due to their failure to deliver physical copies promised to Kickstarter backers of the game.

The Kickstarter campaign for Chained Echoes kicked off on February 5, 2019, reaching its funding goal by March 2, 2019, with the game officially launching on December 8, 2022. During this time, stretch goals for physical editions for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC were successfully met.

In a recent update on Kickstarter, Linda shared that only the PlayStation 4 versions have been delivered to backers, despite the approval process being completed in the fourth quarter of 2023.

“It’s been just over two years since the physical copies were supposed to be released by First Press Games, and as of 2026, the only thing that has arrived is the standard PlayStation 4 edition. Because of this, I’ve made the decision to terminate my business relationship with FPG and prepare a lawsuit,” Linda stated. “Please understand that I cannot provide further details due to legal reasons.”

This situation isn’t isolated; First Press Games has faced similar accusations from nearly a dozen indie developers over the past four years regarding unfulfilled orders. Compounding the issue, despite Linda’s claims about the delays, physical editions of Chained Echoes are still available for order on First Press Games’ website.

For those who ordered through First Press Games rather than the Kickstarter page, it appears that refunds may not be possible. “If someone upgraded their Kickstarter order to a different version using vouchers through FPG’s store, I will compensate for that. However, this only applies to orders made with Kickstarter vouchers, not those placed independently.”