On December 16, 2014 Moneyhorse launched a Kickstarter campaign, Glorious Leader!. Described as a, “satirical 16-bit run ‘n’ gun,” backers would get to play as Kim Jong Un and battle against the US army. The game combined action and comedy, also including one level against Sony and Seth Rogen. The project raised almost $17K of their $55K goal but was canceled on January 7, 2015 after the creators had their accounts and computers hacked. Initially Moneyhorse intended to go forward as planned, telling backers:
“We need to address the website hack. We are sure that this is a hoax perpetrated by amateurs. We have NO reason to believe that this was done by the GOP or anyone affiliated with North Korea. It appears to be an opportunistic copycat, as we have been the target of hacking attempts in the past. And we stress that, despite what the message says, there is NO chance that our backers information has been compromised. As soon as we regain control over our website and work computers, we will upgrade our security and continue forward. Thank you for your understanding.”
This hack comes just after Sony Pictures experienced a cyberattack that started in late November over the release of the movie, The Interview, in which James Franco and Seth Rogen are enlisted to assassinate the dictator. Releases of Sony employees and their families’ personal information and threats on theatres that were supposed to feature the movie’s theatrical release led Sony to temporarily cancel the film’s promotion (a decision that was reversed in light of criticism from The White House). In a more recent update to backers Moneyhorse announced:
“As many of you know, over the holidays we were victims of a hack inspired by the attack on Sony. The hackers destroyed data pertaining to Glorious Leader! and other projects we had in development and locked us out of our own computers and website. The timing couldn’t have been worse as it hampered our ability to attend to the Kickstarter project. We realize that we also made mistakes in our pledge levels and rewards. It is now evident that our funding goals will not be met, so we are cancelling our Kickstarter campaign.”
The team, who also mentioned having previously received threats about the project, is now re-thinking their commitment to releasing the game. Like the aftermath of the Sony hack, backers are disappointed that the game will not be released and wish that the company would continue to move forward.
The team featured several questions about the somewhat controversial game and the creator’s intentions on their page’s FAQ. When asked if they are anti-American, Moneyhorse replied that they are pro-human. In response to whether or not the game was offensive they said, “Yes. In the same way that South Park, Family Guy, and our other favorite shows are offensive.” Still, it seems that satirical depictions of Kim Jong Un are experiencing hacks whether they are coming from big corporations or small crowdfunding campaigns.
