Red Ash has failed to reach its Kickstarter target

Confirming what seemed inevitable last week, Red Ash has failed to reach its Kickstarter funding target. Developed by Comcept – the same team responsible for Mighty No. 9 – the Mega Man Legends-inspired 3D adventure will nonetheless go ahead, thanks to the eleventh hour support of Chinese publisher Fuze entertainment.

It's been a strange campaign for Red Ash. Last week, just as it was looking unlikely the game would be funded, Comcept announced Fuze's involvement, effectively confirming the development of the game's prequel content, dubbed The KalKanon Incident. This prompted Comcept to repurpose its Kickstarter campaign for stretch goals, and backers were advised to consider their pledges "a contribution to stretch goals from here on out."

The campaign also rustled feathers because Mighty No. 9 hasn't been released yet, and according to recent rumours, it won't until 2016.

Red Ash attracted only $519,999 of its $800,000 goal. Interestingly, the crowdfunding campaign for a "treasure-hunting animation" companion managed to reach and exceed its $150,000 target.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.