Indie Game ‘Fortune’s Run’ Development Paused As Developer Sentenced To Prison: ‘I Was A Very Violent Person’
Fortune’s Run is one of the many indie games on Steam that you probably wouldn’t have heard of if not for its controversies.
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Fortune’s Run gained attention in 2023 when it faced controversy over an initial scene in which an alien sexually assaults the main character/player, leading the developers to decide it was best to warn players about it in advance. However, according to the developers, Steam’s content moderators did not consider the scene explicit enough to require a special warning, resulting in the game’s release being blocked.
However, Fortune’s Run eventually launched in Early Access in 2023, with a two-person team behind it. The project’s future became uncertain a few months ago when one of the developers, Arachne, left the project. She had some health issues and after recovering decided to leave the game development. The other developer, Dizzie, continued to work solo on the indie title. However, the latest Steam update brought depressing news: The entire project has been put on hold indefinitely.
The heartfelt message on Steam starts with, “Hi everyone! I’m Dizzie, as of recently the sole developer of this game.”
He continued by explaining the circumstances leading to this point, revealing that he had been sentenced to three years in prison. “I’ve been sentenced to prison for the next three years.
“It’s a long story, but I’ve lived a very different life before I was a game developer, and I wasn’t living very well,” Dizzie admitted. “My case is about five years old now, I have been going through the legal process the whole time I’ve been working on this. I’ve finally been found guilty and sentenced, and I’m going away next month.”
Tinged with regret, Dizzie continued the message by reflecting on his troubled past and the impact it has had on his present. “I was a very violent person, and I hurt a lot of people in my life. It’s a shame, but it’s the consequences of my actions,” he confessed.
Despite the unfortunate development, Dizzie addressed his passion for game development and his hope to one day finish the project, stating, “I am extremely passionate about this stuff, and I’m never going to stop making games.”
“I’d like to finish this one, but I don’t know what will happen,” he continued with a mix of hope and skepticism. “I’m going to do my best because I love this game, and I want to finish it. Seriously, I just want to finish it.”
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Dizzie ended the note by thanking everyone who supported the project. “Big thanks to the Discord community, to the people on Patreon, and finally to all the people here who gave us their money to pull us out of the darkness and into frankly the best job anyone could ever have, to tell awesome stories, write crazy code, draw beautiful things, and record sweet music all day from the moment I wake up until I fall asleep.”
With all that said, it seems that Dizzie has run out of fortune, and as the game isn’t “totally dead,” those interested can still buy it on Steam. For the unfamiliar, it is a fast-paced first-person shooter that takes players to a decaying industrial world, a dystopian future where humanity’s quest to conquer the stars has left countless lives behind. A unique first-person melee combat and gunplay at large against alien foes in a surprisingly detailed universe reminiscent of Deus Ex and Thief.
A passion project at its core, Fortune’s Run has been well-received by its community, boasting ‘Very Positive’ reviews on Steam.
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