When a project doesn't deliver

Last updated August 16, 2026

Crowdfunding is not shopping. You are funding a game that doesn't exist yet, and sometimes one doesn't arrive — a manufacturer fails, costs move, a small studio runs out of road. This page says plainly what happens then, what we do, and what we can't.

The short version

Your agreement to buy is with the publisher, not with awfunding. They owe you the game or an explanation. We are the software and the payment rails, and we hold no escrow — the money went to the publisher's own Stripe account when the campaign funded. So we cannot refund a pledge out of funds we never held.

What we can do is make silence expensive, keep the record straight, and help you use the remedies you do have.

What we ask of publishers

Every publisher accepts the Publisher Agreement, which requires them to deliver what they promised or, when they can't, to say so promptly, explain why, and offer refunds where delivery has become impossible. Publishers who go quiet are in breach of that agreement — not merely disappointing.

What we do when a project goes quiet

1. We ask. If a funded campaign has posted no update for an extended period and backers are reporting silence, we contact the publisher directly and ask for a status update to post.
2. We put it on the page. If they don't respond, we mark the campaign's public page so nobody browsing it is misled about the project's state, and so late pledges or preorders can't keep taking money.
3. We stop the money. We close any open pledge manager, late-pledge store or preorder for that publisher, so no further pledges are taken while the situation is unresolved.
4. We suspend the publisher. A publisher who abandons a funded project doesn't get to launch another campaign here.
5. We give you your records. On request we provide a clear statement of what you pledged, when you were charged, and what the publisher promised — the evidence a bank or card issuer asks for.

What you can do

• Message the publisher. Use the message button on the campaign page — it's a real inbox and they're expected to answer. Start here; most delays are genuine and boring.
• Ask them for a refund. Refund decisions are theirs, and their published refund policy governs.
• Tell us. Write to customerservice@arcanewonders.com if a publisher has stopped responding. We track reports across backers, which is how a pattern becomes visible.
• Use your card's protections. Chargeback windows are limited and often run from the charge date rather than the promised delivery date, so don't wait indefinitely if you believe a project has been abandoned. Your card issuer decides these, not us, and we'll supply the records either way.
• Consumer protection. Depending on where you live, your national consumer-protection body may take an interest in a business that took payment and never delivered.

What we won't pretend

We won't promise a guarantee fund we don't have, or imply that pledging here carries the protection of a retail purchase. Any platform that suggests otherwise is misleading you. Back projects from publishers whose track record you believe in, and treat a pledge as money you are prepared to risk.

Refunds we can help with

Some cases are ours and we act on them directly: a duplicate charge, a charge after you cancelled, a technical failure on our side, or a campaign that was fraudulent from the start. Write to us and we'll investigate with the publisher's Stripe records.

Contact

Arcane Wonders LLC
customerservice@arcanewonders.com

See also our Terms of Service and Publisher Agreement.