Crowdfunded Video Game Authors Left Unpaid as Unbound Collapses and Boundless Faces Scrutiny

The independent book publishing world was rocked earlier this year when Unbound—a pioneer in crowdfunding books, including notable video game titles—fell into administration after significant cash flow issues.

Established in 2011, Unbound earned a reputation for enabling unique projects by allowing backers to pledge funds prior to publication.

Its catalog included an array of highly regarded video game tomes such as Perfect Organism, 20 GOTO 10, Who Hunts The Whale, Things I Learned From Mario's Butt, Taming Gaming, Itchy, Tasty, Terrible Games You've Probably Never Heard Of, Region Locked, and Video Game Obscurities. The company's financial problems resulted in hundreds of authors not receiving royalty payments from ongoing book sales.

Subsequently, a new entity, Boundless, inherited Unbound's operations and assets, led by former Unbound chief Archna Sharma.

This transition has done little to resolve unpaid debts.

According to reporting by Lady Scribbledown, over £657,000 in royalties remain outstanding, leaving thousands of crowdfunding backers unable to recover their contributions after Unbound's collapse.

While Boundless initially committed to making goodwill payments to affected authors, those efforts were halted as cash flow issues re-emerged. The situation continues to deteriorate, notably with John Mitchinson—Unbound co-founder and Boundless team member—resigning last week, following the earlier departure of co-founders Justin Pollard and Dan Kieran.

The Times revealed that Unbound may have diverted over £1 million into developing a machine-learning tool intended to predict the crowdfunding potential of authors based on social media analysis, a project that never reached deployment. In light of these events, several prominent authors have voiced their frustration.

Steven Goodwin, author of the retro computer history book 20 GOTO 10, stated he is owed approximately £10,000 in unpaid royalties, reporting that he has not received any payments in 2024 despite the book achieving significant sales.

Goodwin was in the midst of legal action against Unbound when it ceased operations. Daniel Brown (also known as Dazz Brown) from Did You Know Gaming, who co-authored Region Locked alongside Matt Barnes and Greg Seago-Curl, shared with Time Extension that since the book’s publication in 2021—despite selling thousands of copies—the trio has received only around £200 in total.

Brown described the situation as severely damaging, acknowledging the emotional toll as he and his collaborators attempt to secure accurate sales figures to reclaim missed royalties.

“Many people assume our YouTube channel provides stability, but the lost book revenue is significant for us.

Over seven years of work, each co-author received just £79—numbers that simply do not add up,” Brown explained.

He encouraged Boundless to open their records and directly address the authors’ concerns. Further complaints have surfaced from authors like Effin' Birds creator Aaron Reynolds, who accused Unbound management of underreporting sales.

Reynolds claims internal sales reports cited his second book as underperforming, “when it actually sold out its print run.” Independent sales data reviewed by Reynolds suggests the title’s actual performance was ten times greater than the royalty statements indicated. At press time, Boundless has yet to issue a formal response regarding these mounting controversies.

The fallout from Unbound’s mismanagement and Boundless’s inheritance of both assets and liabilities continues to impact the very creators whose work drives the success of independent publishing in the games and retro computing space. The gaming industry and Nintendo enthusiast communities—well-versed in the legacy and impact of these titles—are closely watching both the fate of these groundbreaking books and the resolution of authors’ financial grievances.

This ongoing situation serves as a cautionary tale for all creative professionals leveraging crowdfunding platforms and alternative publishing models.