Shroud of the Avatar Backers Raise Eyebrows Over Garriott's Latest Move

Ever backed a crowdfunded MMO and wondered what happened to all that goodwill? Shroud of the Avatar's former and current backers just got another reminder that crowdfunded games are a long, strange ride.

This week, those backers collectively raised their eyebrows at Richard Garriott, the man behind Shroud of the Avatar and a familiar name in these parts for having exited a certain previous venture. The Make My MMO column, MOP's long-running tracker of crowdfunded MMOs, flagged the reaction — a fitting entry for a column that watches both brand-new campaigns just starting out and older games long past their fundraising days.

That's the core of it: Shroud of the Avatar isn't a fresh Kickstarter pitch anymore. It's one of those older crowdfunded titles that keeps living in the spotlight long after the pledge drive ended, and its community is still paying close attention to what Garriott does next.

If you're new to this saga, here's the context that matters. Make My MMO exists precisely because crowdfunded MMOs have a habit of generating headlines years after the money came in. Some campaigns launch with a bang and fade; others, like Shroud of the Avatar, keep their backers engaged — sometimes nervously — as development and decisions roll on.

The eyebrow-raising this week is a reminder of how personal crowdfunding can get. When you put your own money behind an MMO, you're not just a customer; you're an investor in someone's vision, and every move by the studio or its figurehead gets scrutinized accordingly.

For now, the takeaway is simple: Shroud of the Avatar remains a game worth watching if you follow the crowdfunded MMO space, and its backers are clearly still invested enough to care about where it goes. The Make My MMO column will keep tracking it, along with every other crowdfunded project in the genre.

What do you think — are you still keeping an eye on Shroud of the Avatar, or have you moved on to newer crowdfunded MMOs? Will you be picking this up, or is your pledge staying firmly in the past?