Looks like the honeymoon is over for DUST Studios and Battlefront. Checkout the latest on the Kickstarter dispute.
First of all, catch up on the dispute between DUST Studio and Battlefront here.
This letter was sent to all the Kickstarter backers, and was posted to the DUST Tactics and Warfare Group, and said to be posted on DUST’s Kickstarter page on May 10th:
“Dear Babylon Kickstarter Backer,
We are heartbroken to send you this message: Battlefront refuses to pay the amount due for the so called “Wave 2” of the Babylon Kickstarter campaign and therefore Dust Studio cannot deliver the items to Battlefront for distribution.
After four weeks of negotiations we still have not received a purchase order or a payment, regardless of our final and generous discount offer on the debated freebies.
During these four weeks Dust Studio has been bullied and blackmailed instead, with
Battlefront demanding the impossible from us in order for them to fulfill their obligations! They have asked us to pay them for editing and graphic design work their staff did on our rulebook, demanding a fee of over US $100,000.00.
They have requested we buy back their Dust stock — the stock that was eventually paid for to the factoring bank precisely with the revenue from the Babylon Campaign KS!Battlefront is holding your money hostage, attempting to force us into an unbearable position and capitulate.
Please accept our apologies but we cannot accept any further humiliation. Our brand has been dragged through the mud and our reputation seriously damaged. Enough is enough!
Dust Studio has manufactured all the units listed as “Wave 2” in good faith but cannot afford nor are we willing to pay for jobs that Battlefront was never hired for in the first place, or for stock of products that have been discounted on the market for the past six months. These issues have nothing to do with the Kickstarter!
Being in breach of both our distribution and the Kickstarter agreements, Battlefront has been notified that our business relationship is officially ended.
What happens next? Why are you receiving this letter? A follow-on offer of how to receive the products you ordered will be published Sunday, May 17. In the meantime we strongly suggest that you contact your credit card company and ask for a full refund.
Please accept our most sincere apologies. And thank you for your continued patience and support.
Dust Studio Team
NB: This letter will be published on our official Facebook page Sunday, May 10.”
This looks to be the key line to this whole situation:
“Being in breach of both our distribution and the Kickstarter agreements, Battlefront has been notified that our business relationship is officially ended.”
The letter’s authenticity has been confirmed to BoLS personally by Paolo Parente.
It has been rough past year for DUST. The company has a beautiful universe with multiple fully fleshed out ranged of fantastic miniatures. While producing great minis on the design and manufacturing front, the company has been dogged of late with issues regarding publishing and distribution partners. About 2 years ago, the DUST license transferred from Fantasy Flight Games to Battlefront. The game got off to a slow rampup and start over at Battlefront but the recent Operation Babylon Kickstarter (which was a big hit on Kickstarter) quickly opened up a rift between DUST Studio and Battlefront that seems to only be getting worse.
Whoever comes out on top, we hope they remember the hobbyists that supported them.
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
