Kickstarted project Limit Theory cancelled after six years in development

After six years since closing out a successful Kickstarter campaign, Limit Theory creator Josh Parnell has announced the game's cancellation.

Despite having more-than tripled his fundraising goal to pull in over $180,000 from backers, Parnell has been forced to cancel the game due to physical, emotional, and financial exhaustion.

"Not in my darkest nightmares did I expect this day to ever come, but circumstances have reached a point that even my endless optimism can no longer rectify," he said in a backer update. "I can not finish Limit Theory."

Backers of the game have rallied to support Parnell however, offering levels of emotional support that are wholly uncharacteristic for the gaming community which frequently meets news like this with death threats rather than compassion.

Parnell was the sole developer of the ambitious procedurally generated infinite space sim, and had not released any commercial titles before taking his idea to Kickstarter.

With the cancellation of Limit Theory, Parnell said he plans to release the game's source code.

"It's not a working game, and in my frenzy to get things working I've left huge swaths of code in a half-refactored or half-complete state," he said.

"But releasing it is the least I can do. I don't imagine it will be of any use to anyone, other than as a monument to a failed dream."

Parnell closed out the post by thanking backers for their support, and offering an apology for the ultimate outcome.

"From the bottom of my heart, thank you for believing in Limit Theory. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to try for something wonderful," he said.

"One last time, I am so sincerely sorry for having let you down. I hope, at the very least, that some of you have enjoyed the ride as I've pitted my brain over the years against one challenge after the next."