In a statement shared on X, Skeleton Crew Studio, the team behind the upcoming Shibuya Scramble Stories, announced that they were looking into legal options after the Japanese crowdfunding platform Ubgoe failed to deliver over half of the total funds their project had accumulated, in excess of 27.75 million yen (over $170 thousand USD).
Shibuya Scramble Stories, an ensemble-style visual novel, was announced in April of 2025 alongside its crowdfunding campaign. The game is a spiritual successor to Spike Chunsoft’s 428: Shibuya Scramble and features several members of its key cast and crew on the production team, including lead writer and director Jiro Ishii and actors Fumio Kitagami and Kousei Amano.
The original announcement was met with enthusiasm from fans, who helped raise 54.75 million yen (over $340 thousand USD) to finance the game, more than ten times the 5 million yen (approx. $31 thousand USD) goal the developers originally set for the project via Ubgoe. However, more than eight months after contributions closed, the team at Skeleton Crew have yet to receive more than half of the money that was raised.
The new statement from the studio assured fans that the developers were committed to recovering the funds from Ubgoe as quickly as possible using whatever legal means necessary. They also confirmed that this should not have any negative impact on backer rewards, as the physical goods involved had already been shipped out, and in-game rewards will still be implemented as planned.
The team affirmed that despite the financial setback, they still intended to proceed with the game’s development. According to their statement, while there may be unforeseen adjustments to the production schedule, the developers plan to channel this adversity into fuel for their passion and resolve to deliver a game that exceeds fans’ expectations.
At the end of their message, Skeleton Crew apologized for the stress caused by the unpleasant news and expressed their gratitude for the support of their fans. “We will continue to face this situation responsibly until the end. We would be grateful for you all to watch over us. One day, we promise to deliver a work that will leave you thinking ‘I’m glad I supported them.’”
At the time of this writing, Ubgoe have not publicly addressed this matter via their website or social media accounts.
Shibuya Scramble Stories’ director Jiro Ishii announced last year that the team was targeting a 2028 release, but it’s unclear if that is still the case following recent developments.
The game’s precursor, 428: Shibuya Scramble, is currently available on PS4 and Steam.
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