After announcing that manufacturing had begun for its licensed crowdfunded tabletop game, Shin Megami Tensei: The Board Game, Tokyo-based company ICREA has apologized for delays in responding to backer inquiries. In a Kickstarter update, the company outlined changes aimed at improving communication with backers going forward, alongside a schedule of future announcements related to payment and shipping.
In an announcement posted on October 9, the project addressed concerns raised by backers regarding the lack of communication from Kickstarter or BackerKit regarding payment. ICREA explained that this was due to the project’s originally planned payment service (a separate platform from Kickstarter and BackerKit) becoming unavailable, forcingthe company to seek an alternative payment service. Consequently, the organizers say they will communicate directly with backers regarding this matter, rather than relying on automated notifications from the Kickstarter or BackerKit systems.
ICREA apologized for keeping backers waiting for responses to their inquiries, saying it did not meet its commitment to responding within the stated timeframe. The post explained that this was due to questions coming in through multiple channels, and that future inquiries will be consolidated through Kickstarter DMs to avoid confusion.
The post concluded with a schedule detailing the plan going forward:
October 16: Announcement of shipping costs, customs duties, and new payment methods
October 23: Start of payment collection
November 9: Reminder for the payment deadline 48 hours in advance
November 11: Deadline for shipping payment and final quantity confirmation.
Shin Megami Tensei The Boardgame was first revealed in 2024, when a prototype was showcased at both Gen Con and Tokyo Game Show. ICREA later launched a Kickstarter campaign that ran from November 12 to December 13, ultimately raising 98.96 million JPY after reaching its initial goal of 30 million JPY in three hours.
Described as a “super heavyweight” strategy game for two to four players, Shin Megami Tensei: The Board Game incorporates the series’ signature Demon Negotiation system, which allows players to converse with and recruit demons as allies, as well as Demon Fusion, which lets players combine demons to create more powerful ones. The game’s marketing heavily emphasized the inclusion of 72 highly detailed demon miniatures. Mass production began on September 24, with the game reportedly still on track for shipment in November.
The game has undergone at least two major schedule delays since its Kickstarter campaign, with manufacturing and shipping dates first being pushed into 2025 and later into 2026. On both occasions, ICREA cited “additional time required for rule adjustment and component refinements” as the cause for the postponement.
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