Abode, the Kickstarter software project that sold over 3,000 backers who pledged nearly a quarter of a million dollars the promise of an alternative to Adobe’s creative suite over two years ago, is dead.
The project’s creator, artist Stuart Semple, wrote on Kickstarter on August 9th that, due to alleged non-delivery by a contracted developer, he is shutting down the Abode project.
This news arrives many months after a beta was promised. PetaPixel most recently recapped the situation shortly after Abode’s second anniversary, noting that the project’s goals remained unrealized and promises to backers were still unfulfilled.
At that time in June, Semple described Abode’s first beta release as imminent, saying that a test server was up and running and software was working.
However, in his update on Kickstarter on August 9th, Semple said that the developer had not delivered “any functioning code or software.” It is unclear how, months after Semple said that the software was working, he claims that he never saw any working software in the first place. It is quite something to continue to make promises to backers about beta software without actually seeing any software.
In February, Semple said Abode’s new developer, Murial, was a “total beast and has done some brilliant work” before promising beta software in March. Again, Semple is now claiming that he has never seen “working software at all.”
In April, the beta was “close.”
In May, the beta was described as ready.
In June, the beta was coming the following week “unless something crazy happens.” Spoiler alert, something crazy happened.
In July, the beta was ready.
Then on August 6th, Semple said Murial had not yet delivered anything at all.
“I’ve backed my fair share of Kickstarter failures, it’s just part of the game. But I’ve never had one that was so spectacularly deceitful in the updates,” one Abode backer commented on Kickstarter.
The Developer Speaks Out
The developer created a post under the username, ClassicBat4188, on Reddit last week, describing that she had been contracted to work on Abode’s Photoshop alternative, Photopop, since December 2024. In this initial post, Murial says she is suing Semple for “rest of what’s owed to me.”
“Stuart requested a rudimentary version of Photoshop (thus Electron was recommended) and by no means was this project funded to the point of completing it within the hours I allotted. He took six months to pay his deposit and now is disputing his invoice after I requested a minor payment to cover overage hours. He was late on every payment and it made it very difficult to trust the process. He would disappear for weeks and months when feedback was needed and now insists that he received nothing,” she wrote on Reddit.
Days before this Reddit post, the developer alleges that Semple created an app in builder.io, claiming that it was more than Murial had delivered.
“It was pathetic,” the developer writes. “He said he ‘created’ it and it took him a day. I responded and I recreated his ‘creation’ in eight minutes and pointed out what the differences are and why this would never be viable.”
“He has a god complex and a lack of understanding,” the developer writes. “Unable to cope with being called out, he disappears for days and calls me a scammer.”
Murial separately claims in a comment on Reddit that she has an attorney involved.
‘It was pathetic…’
Semple Responds
A few days after this Reddit post, Semple himself chimed in within the comments:
“You’ve been paid a considerable amount over the last six months — you’ve had six months please can we all have what we paid for? You were supposed to give us access to the git and regular updates. You’ve promised the beta numerous times — we’ve had nothing. Please either deliver what we’ve paid for or refund us. Thanks.”
Yesterday, August 10th, Semple posted again in the developer’s Reddit thread, claiming that the developer was paid “in installments” over six months and that she was supposed to deliver a working beta after the first stage.
“That never happened,” Semple says of the beta delivery.
“During that time, she repeatedly asked for urgent extra payments, saying the beta would be ready ‘tomorrow’ if I sent more money that day,” he continues. “In total, she was paid more than double her original quoted cost for the beta version, but we still have not seen any working software.”
“She claims she has been working on this full time for six months,” Semple alleges. “I have seen no functioning code or software to support that.”
In separate comment threads, Semple said Murial “ripped” him off and that she made her initial Reddit post to “detract (sic) from the fact she’s not delivered.”
“The truth here is she’s had a lot of money, led us on that she could build it. And has delivered nothing at all,” Semple said.
Semple claims Murial failed to deliver against milestones in every case.
Although Semple initially said he would share the “receipts” that support all his claims, he has now changed his tune pending legal proceedings. Semple says on Kickstarter he plans “to pursue legal means to obtain whatever code or assets exist.”
“If successful, I will provide every backer with a copy and also release it as open source so others can build on it,” Semple writes.
“Given the circumstances, the project is now closed.”
“I want to thank everyone who supported this idea and to acknowledge the frustration this outcome will cause,” Semple concludes. “I have personally invested substantial additional funds and time to try to deliver, but despite these efforts, we were unable to achieve the result we all wanted.”
‘The truth here is she’s had a lot of money, led us on that she could build it. And has delivered nothing at all.’
The Back and Forth
Semple and the developer have battled publicly on Reddit, each contesting the other’s accounts of the situation.
Reddit user, stperona, who claims to be a professional software developer themselves, criticized both Murial and Semple for failing to develop the product that Kickstarter backers paid for. In the case of the developer, stperona alleges that Murial failed to do their due diligence on what a project like this would entail before making various commitments. As for Semple, stperona sees him as an “idea guy” who doesn’t fully understand what it takes to make an application, especially one meant to compete against Adobe Photoshop.
“All in all I think it’s time for the Kickstarter backers to accept their pledges are sunk and the project is dead,” stperona concludes.
Murial replied to this comment, saying that Semple consistently misled her and that things got out of hand.
Semple then chimed in as well, claiming that Murial had sent him “hundreds of rude and harassing emails” in an attempt to “make” him send more money.
“You failed to stick to the timeline or deliver anything at all against payments. You’ve had six months and a heap of money and we have nothing,” Semple says. “I couldn’t collaborate with you as you didn’t give me anything to collaborate on. It was only a couple of weeks ago that I finally even saw a glimpse of what you’d been making after I put my foot down and said no more money until we see something.”
“Quite frankly what we got back was shocking for the amount of time and money invested in you. You took the cash and you haven’t delivered,” Semple continues. “If you couldn’t do the gig you should have said at the start. Not after six months of being paid.”
The developer replied, “Hundreds of harassing emails? Stuart come on, are you losing touch with reality now?”
“Come to find out you even took it a step further and posted an update where you edited my words about your non payment. Dude you can lie like it’s some advanced skillset and worse yet, you convince yourself so quickly. You need to figure yourself out.”
“I always urged (Semple) to update the community on what the deliverables are so the expectations can be realistic once I found out about what he promised. He’s now taking another hiatus from reality again,” Murial posted on Reddit on a different thread, not in direct response to Semple.
“Trying to hold him accountable always has the same result — he bails and blame shifts. I gave him an out multiple times,” Murial adds.
‘You need to figure yourself out.’
“If you worked on it full time for six months please can we all see it?” Semple replied to Murial in another separate thread. “I’d love to see what you did with the time and all the money we gave you.”
Murial says she did not work on the project full-time for six months because the two failed to agree on that allotment of time when they began working together late last year.
“You keep reiterating the six months full time line and it’s false,” Murial says. “I did not work on this for six months. You failed to commit so there were numerous stop starts as I’ve stated on repeat.”
Murial claims that she wants to release the code she has worked on, provided that there is a valid legal agreement in place. She also wants “proof of where the initial Kickstarter funds went and proof of the previous developer” taking Semple’s money.
“I’ll provide a substantial discount on what’s due if you provide this (proof),” Murial adds, while also suggesting that the funds she claims she is owed are paid into an attorney’s escrow so that it can be released to her once the code is released to the public.
“Win-win all round,” the developer says.
In a separate, now-deleted post, Semple had said he hoped Murial would release the code as open-source. ”I’d be over the moon,” he said.
Where Abode Is At Now
Abode is dead.
The most recent developer, Murial, claims to have code that she would release if she is paid what she is owed. Semple, the artist behind Abode, says he is not paying Murial more and has never seen evidence that she has completed the work she was contracted for.
The two have spent the last few days engaged in a very public feud on Reddit about the matter, and each claims that the other party is lying. Both say they are in communication with lawyers.
PetaPixel has sent requests for comment to both parties involved and will update this story in the event any response is received.
As for those who backed Abode on Kickstarter, options are limited. As is always the case with a Kickstarter campaign, a pledge is not a product purchase. It is financial support for a product or project. Kickstarter campaign organizers are held to various standards and expected to make a legitimate attempt to fulfill the goals outlined during the initial funding period. However, Kickstarter is very clear that ultimately, delivery is the responsibility of the Kickstarter campaign creator, and that concerns should primarily be addressed to the organizer, not Kickstarter itself.
However, Abode backers can report the campaign, and Kickstarter’s Trust and Safety team will review the reports.
“While we can’t speak to the nature of all actions taken by Kickstarter, we are actively reaching out to creators when they are falling short of our expectations, and, when necessary, placing restrictions on their account,” Kickstarter explains in its FAQ.
This precise type of situation is what led to PetaPixel changing its policy earlier this year concerning Kickstarter coverage. We now back every project we write about at the lowest backing level to ensure we maintain complete access to the project and updates to hold creators accountable. Being able to keep track of a project beyond its funding stage makes it much easier to see when Kickstarter creators behave in a way that fails to align with the original promises.
Unfortunately, in the case of Abode, any sort of financial recompense for backers seems extremely unlikely. According to all parties involved, the campaign’s money has been spent. If Semple is to be believed, he has gone beyond the initial backing to try to bring Abode to its backers.
The Abode project made overly ambitious promises, lacked the necessary framework to deliver on all its initial promises, and seemed entirely rudderless throughout much of its development period. Promises were made, broken, and made again.
Whether surprising or not, Abode seems well and truly dead, most likely forever.
Image credits: Header image created using an asset licensed via Depositphotos. Other images via Abode.
