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Tiny Metal legal battle ends with legal action, embezzlement accusations recanted
Remember the controversy that popped up right around the time Tiny Metal launched? It all tied in with Project Phoenix, a 2013 Kickstarter campaign that amassed $1,014,600. The game went from Kickstarter success to major delay, with director and project leader Hiroaki Yura saying that his new plan was to move over to another game, which would help bring in more cash to finish Project Phoenix. This game was Tiny Metal.
From here on out, the situation got really messy. The PR Manager on Tiny Metal accused Yura of embezzling funds from Project Phoenix's crowdfunding to produce Tiny Metal. Yura fired back by saying that Project Phoenix funds went into the alpha build of that game, and subsequent development was funded out of Yura's own pocket, as well as other methods. Yura was adamant that money from the Kickstarter never went towards anything related to Tiny Metal.
The back-and-forth fight got so bad that legal action was taken, which leads us to today. The case has now been settled through mediation court in Japan, and the PR manager on Tiny Metal was ordered to retract accusations of embezzlement. You can see his full statement on the matter below.
On November 20, 2017 (Heisei 29) I posted the entry “Comments” to the AREA 35 Co., Ltd. (Representative Director Yura Hiroaki) operated Facebook page entitled “Project Phoenix”, at a point in time after my own departure from that same company. In regard to this entry, and with the exception of the fact that I was employed by the company until two months prior to the posting, I now admit that everything it stated was contrary to the truth, and I offer a deep and profound apology to AREA 35 Co., Ltd.
Furthermore, I also apologize for significant damage caused to AREA 35 Co., Ltd., and damage caused to the good name and reputation of Mr. Yura Hiroaki, due to such occurrences as the falsehoods that I posted being picked up and reported by media organizations within the United States of America.
I am fully aware that my actions also relate to the trust placed in the videogame industry, and that they must have been very shocking for everyone involved in said industry.
Please allow me to apologize again for my actions.