Japanese game designer Jiro Ishii and his studio, Skeleton Crew Studio, have encountered unexpected difficulties despite the successful crowdfunding campaign for their visual novel, Shibuya Scramble Stories. The project successfully raised a substantial sum of approximately 55 million yen (roughly $340,000); however, the development team received less than half of this amount.
It was revealed that the crowdfunding platform, Ubgoe, refused to transfer the remaining 27.75 million yen. Subsequently, Ubgoe’s CEO, Kazuo Okada, stated that the funds were “mistakenly sent to another client,” preventing the company from making the full payout.
Initially, the full amount was expected to be transferred by September 1, 2025. Following the delay and consultations with legal counsel, an agreement was signed, obligating Ubgoe to disburse the funds by September 16, 2025. Nevertheless, by this deadline, the studio had received only 6 million yen. Okada continued to insist on the mistaken transfer narrative but declined to provide any evidence. Ishii’s lawyer finds such claims dubious, as recovering funds through a bank in similar situations is typically straightforward.
The situation is further complicated by Ubgoe’s platform rules, which state that the contract is directly between the investor and the project creator. This implies that developers are bound to fulfill all their commitments—including game release and rewards—even if they have not actually received the pledged funds. Thus, the platform disclaims responsibility for lost money.
Jiro Ishii himself admitted he hadn’t anticipated such risks, initially believing in the inherent good nature of people.
Despite these financial hurdles, the development of Shibuya Scramble Stories is not jeopardized. The project secured support from Tokyu Land Corporation, which helped partially offset the losses. The studio has entered a new agreement with Ubgoe for phased payments of the outstanding amount and is determined to recover what Ishii referred to as “the precious money entrusted to us by our users.”