Akaneiro: Demon Hunters devs 'in the hole' $1.7M

Development on Akaneiro: Demon Hunters will have to be "radically" altered to accommodate financial reasons, creator American McGee announced via Kickstarter.

According to McGee, Spicy Horse has spent $2 million against the $300,000 it's made from Kickstarter, Steam and in-game purchases. That leaves the developer "in the hole" for $1.7 million. The core team working on Akaneiro has been reduced to two people who will continue to make improvements on the game and finish tablet and multiplayer support. Their progress will, however, be slower.

"Life as an independent developer is filled with the constant threat of failure," McGee wrote. "This isn't the first time in our eight year history we've faced this sort of challenge. It's not the first time we've had to reduce staff on one of our games. It is different because of the demand for transparency that comes with being a part of Kickstarter. In providing transparency like this, I am asking for your understanding and I am hoping for your support.

"As is usually the case after these sorts of painful adjustments, we are now in a better position to survive, build success with The Gate, and re-focus development on Akaneiro with lessons learned from the mistakes we've made."

McGee added that if Spicy Horse's real-time strategy game The Gate is more successful, it may be able to "throw greater resources" at Akaneiro.

Akaneiro: Demon Hunters launched for Steam Early Access in June of last year, following a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $200,000.