More than five years after raising $5.7 million on Kickstarter, the Darkest Dungeon board game project has officially collapsed, with developer Red Hook Studios confirming that publisher Mythic Games is no longer capable of manufacturing or delivering the product.
The End of a $5.7 Million Crowdfunding Campaign
What began as a massive success, exceeding its initial $300,000 goal by nearly 20 times, has ended in a major disappointment for thousands of fans. Red Hook Studios announced that the financial instability of Mythic Games—which has been strained for years—has reached a breaking point, resulting in the total cancellation of the project’s second wave of orders.
“We put our trust in Mythic Games to deliver on their promises and uphold the Darkest Dungeon name,” Red Hook stated on their official website. “We won’t mince words; their collapse and inability to fulfill Wave 2 orders is an enormously disappointing development.”
A History of Financial Turbulence
The project’s struggles became public in July 2022, when Mythic Games requested additional funding from backers to cover rising production and shipping costs, attributed to the global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine. While a first wave of shipments, including core boxes and the Crimson Court expansion, reached some backers, the promised second wave never materialized. The final project update, which teased the production of miniatures, was posted in February 2024.
Digital Files as a Final Gesture
According to reports from BoardGameWire, Mythic Games was officially liquidated in December 2025. While Mythic previously claimed it would provide 3D printer files for the miniatures as a final act, former employees alleged that the company never actually owned the rights to those files and had no intention of releasing them. Following these reports, Red Hook intervened, securing the rights and now providing all backers with access to a comprehensive digital library of the game.
Backers have received emails containing links to all relevant game files, including rulebooks, 3D models, and other assets.
“We understand that nothing can replace the experience of receiving the full board game,” Red Hook acknowledged. “Unfortunately, Red Hook has neither the board game manufacturing expertise nor the ability to divert the funds required to overcome the obstacles Mythic faced without endangering our own operations. We only hope that this final gesture can be a silver lining in an otherwise disappointing situation.”
