Limited Run Games caused quite a stir recently when it was discovered that the company was selling CD-R discs to customers as part of its expensive, limited edition products – specifically D, which retailed for $64.99.
At the time, it was claimed that this was due to “quality and reliability issues when attempting to press 3DO discs in the traditional manner,” with Limited Run claiming in a statement that burned CDs ensured better compatibility with 3DO hardware (something many people have pointed out is totally incorrect – the 3DO’s CD drive is famously picky when it comes to reading CD-Rs).
Now, Limited Run co-founder Douglas Bogart – who left the company in 2023 – has claimed there was a very different reason for selling CD-Rs to customers: fellow company founder Josh Fairhurst thought it was cheaper:
I wasn’t there when they sold CD-R’s to customers but I was there when he proposed the idea and I with a few other co-workers told him it was a bad idea to sell burned discs to customers, but his response was it was cheaper, and they wouldn’t play or notice it. I had hoped he got off that idea but clearly didn’t.
Bogart made the claim about Fairhurst in a lengthy post on Medium. The post has since been deleted but is available online (as spotted by Game Sack).
In it, Bogart also outlines various issues he encountered working with Fairhurst, which include harassment in the workplace, spending company money on his personal collection, and harbouring a vendetta against other companies working in the same sector of the industry, such as iam8bit.
Whenever there was a possible PR disaster and a way to avoid it he wouldn’t listen. A crappy internal saying was “it’s good enough” if we could save money and cut corners then it was okay if it was passable and just pray no one took a hard look. No one can tell him anything unless you somehow convince him it’s his idea. Tasks used to not get done at work for the longest time because he refused to relinquish control. He taught that behavior to a lot of us too.
You can read the full statement here.
Go on.... treat yourself to a new game.
