Planet of the Apes: The Miniatures Boardgame

Most of the 1 ratings seem to come from a mistaken belief that this project actual production and delivery is connected to Mythic Games. I backed Mythic games projects and am saddened by the fate of that company, but the Planet of the Ape project is its own thing and needs to be evaluated as such.

Here's the clarification posted on the project's FAQ:

"Our response is Hervé Sagnier's official statement, which we reproduce here:

Hello everyone,

Some of you have informed us that you have received unsolicited emails from us. Thank you for letting us know. To avoid any further misunderstandings, I can repeat what we've already said: we didn't have the in-house resources to send out the digital marketing, and we went through a specialist company who told us that they had purchased a list of player profiles to use for the email blasts. This list was purchased from a service called Fiverr. We are very sorry if this list appears to include people who have not given their consent. Naturally, I have decided to stop this digital marketing operation immediately, despite the time wasted in creating the content. We'll try to present it in other ways (Facebook, Gamefound, etc.). Incidentally, this list seems to be linked to the company Mythic Games, and I'd like to take this opportunity to clarify any links I may have had with them, as with practically all other French companies in the sector. This project began to be presented to the public 7 years ago, and at a convention I met Leonidas Vesperini, who tried out the game. We then went to present the game to his team at the Mythic Games offices (as did many other developers) on the occasion of our first Kickstarter campaign in 2019. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/109786817/planet-of-the-apes-the-miniatures-boardgame/posts/2478072?ref=bggforums

There was even talk of a partnership at the time, but it didn't happen. At the time, we were disappointed not to have the help of a (then) major player in the industry. But if you look at what happened next, I'm pretty happy that it worked out that way! After that, like all professionals in the gaming world, we would regularly meet at trade shows and just catch up on our respective projects. When I was ready to relaunch the Planet of the Apes project, I went through my entire address book to ask for advice, and among them was Leonidas Vesperini. But that was as far as it went. His account of his company's failure, however, is rich with lessons for someone just starting out like me. The main lesson I took from this exchange is not to launch new campaigns until the previous one has been fully delivered to backers. I've gotten the same advice from many other people, and it seems obvious to me now, given the current situation. Our relationship with Mythic Games and Mr. Leonidas Vesperini ends here. And I hope with all my heart that this project and myself will not become a collateral victim of his company's situation because of these rumors.

As for Ulysse Mérou, he's the son of my daughter's godfather, whom I approached partly because of his very good English but also because of his deep attachment to the Planet of the Apes franchise. He's in charge of community management for me, and I decided to find him an avatar as a nice nod to Pierre Boule and the hero of his book, Ulysse Mérou, as readers who are fans of the novel will have understood. If you take a look at the description of Ulysse Mérou's Facebook profile, you'll find additional elements to this reference. It was very important for me to clarify the situation with you for the sake of my personal conscience.

Now, as you can imagine, the most important thing for me is to talk about our game, and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has followed and supported us so far. Z or Alive is a small company that I've been keeping at arm's length for years, trying to bring this passion project to fruition, for over 7 years. 7 years is a long time and it took an iron will not to give up. In 2019, I decided to cancel the first campaign (on Kickstarter at the time) that was still funded, because I knew I wouldn't be able to deliver at that point, and I personally took on all the costs. I did it to come back ready and available, respecting several parameters: ⁃ POTA Fans ⁃ our future supporters ⁃ the license

The personal debt for this project, the energy invested, the personal sacrifices are colossal. If it were that simple, we'd know. For this new campaign, I've decided to release a game based solely on the Caesar trilogy to make sure I can deliver on time. Out of respect for my backers, and as I've said before, I won't be launching any other campaigns until I've delivered this one, in order to keep my company's finances healthy.

As you can imagine, as this new campaign is about to launch, the stress is there, but so is the excitement of seeing this dream finally come true. Here in the North, we believe in faith in every sense of the word, and my small team and I will show you that we can make our dreams - and your expectations - come true, one step at a time...

APES TOGETHER STRONG

Hervé Sagnier, President of Z OR ALIVE CIE."

Le jeu n'était déjà pas abouti en 2019 et cela n'a pas changé en 2024 ! Z or Alive supprime les messages dérangeants sur Gamefound (du jamais vu avec d'autres éditeurs sur cette plateforme !) cela montre que l'éditeur ne se remet pas en question et propose un jeu pas fini dont le financement ne permettra JAMAIS de produire un tel jeu sous licence Disney avec tous le matériel proposé. Z or Alive dit avoir fait jouer Planet of the Apes en conventions aux US et en Europe ? vraiment ? où sont les retours ? J'étais à Essen cette année et ils n'étaient pas là ! Pareil pour le Festival International des Jeux de Cannes 2024, ils n'étaient pas là non plus. Il n'y a pas de Reviews sur Gamefound, personne n'a reçu de prototype ?? Z or Alive a par contre eu assez d'argent pour acheter les données personnelles des backers de Mythic Games et envoyé leur mails non sollicités avant la campagne. Posez-vous les bonnes questions ?

Vu à Cannes. Un jeu original dans ses mécanismes et plaisant à jouer en proto !

Necesito ese juego a sido mi sueño tener uno asi

This game is involved with the Mythic Games (Leo & associates). For those who are unaware, Mythic ran what was tantamount to a Ponzi scheme with running multiple board game crowdfunding projects. It toppled over.

Mythic said it was still committed to fulfilling the projects and collected more money from backers beyond the campaign before slowly going radio silent towards them. They sold off their IPs/interests and liquidated their assets before dissolving Mythic Games while not fulfilling their obligations. They even distributed/sold backers' data. Talk about taking the kitchen sink on their way out!

When Leo went to incorporate a new company with former Mythic Games associates, a watchdog blew the whistle which caused him to break the silence and respond. He said there was no money left, and he had to borrow money from family to stay afloat with basic needs. Despite this, he claims to be a capable businessperson and is going to use the new company to help other businesses. If this is true, why did his company fail? Where did he get the money being in dire straits to start a new business and hop on this Planet of the Apes board game venture? It's a very shady affair and the writing is on the wall.

Even if this does manage to materialize, just know it's likely tainted as a blood diamond with the funds lost by fellow gamers who supported Mythic Games and got screwed over by them multiple times. Here's to hoping karma catches up with them.

Pity this. I'm a POTA fan, and I'd love to see this actually happen, but as was stated earlier: no prototypes went out and there is no proof other than possible content photos that this game even exists.

With the stark warnings of the community, I pulled my support. Unless the publishers can give me a convincing argument, I'm not putting my information at risk.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS PUBLISHER!!!!! The publisher is working with Mythic Games, who have donated/sold backers' personal details.

rated a 1 to get potential backers attention and let them know there appears to be ties to Mythic Games. all crowdfunding projects re high risk, but this one seems to be the highest risk possible. BACKERS BEWARE!!!

STAY AWAY FROM THIS PUBLISHER!!!!! The publisher is working with Mythic Games, who have donated/sold backers' personal details.