Creator of Acclaimed RPG Chained Echoes Takes Legal Action Against Publisher Over Delayed Physical Edition

The 16-bit-inspired RPG launched its Kickstarter campaign in February 2019, quickly surpassing its funding goal with over 4,500 backers pledging €130,409 to support the game’s development.

The game’s digital edition was released in December 2022, while the physical edition was planned for a later release through First Press Games.

In a June 2024 update, creator Matthias Linda informed backers that the physical version had been approved by Sony and Nintendo at the end of 2023, with release expected later in 2024.

However, in a new update posted today, Linda revealed that only the standard PS4 edition has been received so far. None of the other 13 planned editions—including Regular, Retro, and Collector’s Editions for PS4, Switch, and PC, a Japanese-themed Switch edition, and a CD soundtrack—have been released.

“It’s been over two years since First Press Games was supposed to release the physical copies, and as of 2026, nothing has arrived except the regular PlayStation 4 edition,” Linda told backers.

“Because of this, I’ve made a difficult decision to terminate my business relationship with FPG and prepare a lawsuit. This wasn’t easy and came after careful consideration. For legal reasons, I cannot provide further details at this time.”

Linda offered Kickstarter backers two choices: they can either keep their pledge and wait for a new physical edition with a different publisher, or request a full refund.

“For legal reasons, compensation is only available to backers from the Kickstarter campaign,” he explained. “If you choose to wait for the new edition, it may take time—potentially until the lawsuit concludes—but refunds are available immediately.”

Chained Echoes has been widely praised for its story and gameplay, earning a Metacritic score of 90 and ranking as the fifth-best-rated game of the year on the review aggregator.