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Police Quest successor Precinct cancelled as crowdfunders decide it isn’t any cop

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Former Sierra On-Line men Jim Walls and Robert Lindsay put together what they hoped was a killer Kickstarter pitch back in July: a spiritual return to the Police Quest series, under a new name and with a closer adherence to real policing – the kind Walls carried out himself as a member of the California Highway Patrol until 1986.

Unfortunately, not even a high speed transfer to an independent crowdfunding campaign earlier this month could persuade fans that the idea was worth $400,000.

“We simply don’t have the momentum needed to meet the requirements of this project,” wrote its developers.

“Each member of our team has done their very best to make Precinct a reality,” said Lindsay on the Precinct site. “We put every effort into making a crowdfunding campaign work but we have decided to end the Precinct campaign effective today. Your generous support not only made Precinct a possibility, it also gave us the fire to try and make this work when the going got hard. Thank you.

“We’re fighters and fought our best. Unfortunately, our best wasn’t good enough to overcome the challenges with crowdfunding Precinct. Our new approach attracted some terrific supporters and we are grateful.”

The independent follow-up project was set up in two weeks, and adopted a model closer to traditional videogame investment. But it garnered only 430 supporters to the tune of less than $12,000.

“Depending on the situation, we may decide to try again someday,” mused Lindsay. “The backing community are wonderfully supportive of Jim Walls making a new game. Likewise, our team remains passionate about Precinct and are hopeful there is a way to make Precinct a reality in the future.”

An important point: the 430 who pledged will not be charged. Did you consider backing Walls’ campaign? What stopped you?

Thanks, PC Gamer.