Polygon examines the implications of the terms under which "donations" are being accepted to fund Shadow of the Eternals, the upcoming spiritual successor to Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem from Precursor Games, the spiritual successor to Silicon Knights. They note the company being in Canada is the obstacle to using Kickstarter, and explain the pledge system being used, and what it does and does not offer to donors:

The pledge system, which is managed directly by Precursor Games and collects money through PayPal, includes a number of specific conditions outlined in the site's terms of service including the fact that all money given to the studio are "strictly donations and are not consideration for any services or product," and that donations will be accepted immediately upon receipt, unlike Kickstarter, which only accepts funds if a funding goal is reached.

"A donation cannot be cancelled or returned once it has been completed, whether or not Precursor Games completes the game or fulfills the specified reward," it reads.

The website's FAQ states that the financial goal is a "flexible one" and "if it becomes apparent that we cannot raise enough to develop this project then we will refund all pledges."