Ex-Konami Composer Awarded $2,600 for Emotional Distress from Canceled Crowdfunding Project

Motoaki Furukawa, the former composer known for his work on titles like Policenauts, Snatcher, and the Nintendo 64 version of Castlevania, has faced off against Pixel Co., a small Japanese development team focused on the Nintendo Switch, in a legal dispute over the abandoned crowdsourced shoot ’em up, Steam Pilots.

Steam Pilots was funded through two crowdfunding campaigns on a Japanese platform, Makuake, in 2019, raising a total of 11,022,700 yen, which is about $70,000 today, though it was closer to $90,000 back then.

In January 2022, Pixel Co. director Hidekuni Sasaki announced on X that development on Steam Pilots was being halted due to not receiving any payment during the two years of work on the project. A representative from Makuake confirmed that the funds from the campaigns had been fully transferred to Furukawa by that time. Just two months later, Furukawa revealed on Steam Pilots’ second Makuake page that he had brought in another developer to take over from Pixel Co.

Following this, a legal battle erupted. Pixel Co. filed a lawsuit against Furukawa in March 2022 to recover their lost development costs. In response, Furukawa countersued in 2023, seeking damages and claiming emotional distress caused by Pixel Co.’s CEO.

As reported, the situation culminated on January 30 when a Japanese court ruled that neither party would receive compensation for their claims. However, Pixel Co.’s president was ordered to pay Furukawa 40,000 yen (approximately $2,600) for the emotional distress claim.

In a post on X, Pixel Co. expressed their disappointment with the ruling, stating it could have serious repercussions for the entire gaming industry. They concluded by mentioning that they would announce their future course of action at a later date.

While Steam Pilots may be a thing of the past, it paved the way for Bounty Sisters, a similar game that recently launched on the Switch in Japan.