Legal
Founder terms
Gecktopia is being built in the open and is not finished. Supporting it now helps pay for the work. This page says exactly what you get, what you do not, and how to get your money back.
The short version
You are supporting development, not pre-ordering a product. There is no release date and no promise of one. You can have a full refund for any reason within 30 days. After that, the money has gone into building the game and is not refundable, including if the game is never finished.
If that is not a trade you want to make, please do not buy a founder tier. Joining the Hatch List is free and costs you nothing but an email address.
Refunds
Email support@gecktopia.com within 30 days of your purchase and you will be refunded in full. You do not need to give a reason. Refunds go back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, and usually take a few working days to appear.
When a purchase is refunded, the founder benefits attached to it end. That includes any founder number, which returns to the pool.
If Gecktopia never launches
It might not. It is being made by one person alongside other work, and plenty of games like it are never finished. You should decide whether to support it with that possibility in mind rather than in spite of it.
After the 30 day window, founder purchases are not refundable, and that includes the case where development stops. The money will already have been spent on the work. Promising otherwise would mean holding it in reserve instead of using it, which would defeat the point of raising it.
What is promised instead: if development stops, you will be told plainly and promptly rather than left to work it out from an abandoned site.
What is not promised
- No release date, and no estimated release date.
- No beta date, and no guarantee that a beta will happen.
- No guarantee that any particular feature described anywhere on this site will exist in the finished game, or that it will work the way it is described today.
- No guarantee that the amount of in-game currency, or any other quantity described as approximate, will be exactly what is listed.
Where a benefit below says “approximately”, “when available”, or “when configured”, that wording is deliberate and is part of these terms.
What each tier includes
Hatch List Supporter, $15
- Permanent supporter badge
- Exclusive non-biological founder cosmetic
- Approximately 10 launch Opals
- Optional supporter-credit recognition
Founding Breeder, $35
- Everything in Hatch List Supporter
- Permanent Founding Breeder designation
- Approximately 35 launch Opals
- Founder habitat and profile cosmetics
- One non-exclusive Foundation Voucher or equivalent convenience
- Eligibility for selected pre-release testing when available
Legacy Founder, $79
- Everything in Founding Breeder
- Permanent Legacy Founder designation
- Numbered founder provenance when configured
- Approximately 90 launch Opals
- Additional pedigree and portrait presentation cosmetic
- Permanent recognition in a future Legacy presentation
Benefits described as permanent are intended to last for the life of the game. If a named feature is replaced by a different one, the recognition moves with it rather than disappearing.
In-game items and currency
Opals, cosmetics, vouchers and founder designations are licensed for use inside Gecktopia. They are not property, they have no cash value, they cannot be exchanged for money, and they cannot be sold or transferred outside the game.
Who can buy
You must be at least 18 years old to make a founder purchase. Gecktopia itself will be playable by younger people, but payment has to come from an adult. See the terms for the age rules in full.
Who you are buying from, and questions
Founder purchases are sold by Built by Dusty, a sole proprietorship operated by Dusty Mumphrey. Payment is handled by Stripe, and card details never reach this site. How your information is used is set out in the privacy policy.
For anything at all, including a refund, email support@gecktopia.com.