Chained Echoes, the critically praised retro RPG that launched digitally in December 2022, became a standout title with its nod to classics like Chrono Trigger. But its tale of redemption stops short when it comes to physical media.
Matthias Linda, the solo developer behind Chained Echoes at studio Umami Tiger, has announced he is terminating his business relationship with physical publisher First Press Games and is now preparing a lawsuit against the company for failing to deliver promised physical copies to Kickstarter backers.
The timeline reveals the scale of the delay. The Kickstarter campaign launched in February 2019 and fully funded by March 2019, with stretch goals met for physical editions on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC. It has been more than two years since the physical copies were supposed to arrive, and in 2026 only the regular PlayStation 4 edition has been released. Manufacturing approval from Sony and Nintendo had finished at the end of 2023.
Linda's patience, understandably, has expired. For legal reasons he has declined to elaborate further on the lawsuit. What he can offer is a choice to those who backed the Kickstarter campaign: backers can either wait for a new physical edition from another publisher or request a refund of their Kickstarter pledge. Those who ordered directly through First Press Games' website rather than via Kickstarter will not be eligible for compensation or refunds from Linda.
The situation underscores a deeper problem in the limited physical game market. This is not the first time First Press Games has been accused of failing to fulfil orders; nearly a dozen indie developers have reported similar issues over the past four years. The developers of Mulaka recently terminated their contract with the company, which ignored them. Project Blue's creator alleged that the publisher failed to deliver payments and kept ghosting their emails despite a three-year delay on Famicom Collector's Edition materials.
The contradiction is striking. Even now, with over two years having passed since the physical editions were supposed to release, First Press Games continues to accept orders for Chained Echoes physical copies through its website. For anyone ordering fresh, there is no way to know whether they will ever receive what they have paid for.
Linda is attempting to salvage his obligation to backers by finding a new manufacturing partner. The lawsuit may ensure accountability, but it may also prevent any physical production until the case is resolved, meaning physical copies could remain unavailable for quite some time. For indie developers, the lesson is clear: the promise of physical release support can become a liability if the partner cannot deliver.