Update [Mon 12th Jun, 2023 16:30 BST]: Earlier today, the former Commodore UK managing director David John Pleasance cancelled the controversial Kickstarter for the new Commodore hub, the Amiga Global Alliance. It had only raised £2008 of its £15,000 funding target from 41 backers, as of the time of its cancellation.
In Pleasance's statement on Kickstarter, he claimed it was his "aim to integrate what appeared to be a somewhat (Geographically speaking) fragmented community and bring everyone together under one umbrella." However, following the Kickstarter's launch, it became clear that his "lack of clarity led to a complete misunderstanding of my intentions resulting in two or three days of negative feedback."
He stated that "In light of the feedback received from many of you, it has become clear that the campaign did not resonate as I had hoped" and that he "believed cancelling the campaign was the right thing to do."
He hopes this will "begin to mend any fractures that have emerged in our community as a result of the campaign".
You can find Pleasance's full statement on Kickstarter.
Original Article [Tue 6th Jun, 2023 14:05 BST]: Former Commodore UK managing director David John Pleasance recently launched a new Kickstarter project with the goal of funding another online hub for Commodore users (as spotted by FusionRGamer).
The hub, which will be called Amiga Global Alliance (or "AGA" for short, after the Amiga 32-bit chipset), will feature open forums, a marketplace, and a database, as well as an archive, a jobs board, a technical support page, and a calendar too.
Pleasance is hoping to raise £15,000 to help bring the project to life, with the funds going towards "website construction and maintenance", "operational expenses", and "governance". Backers will receive a bunch of Commodore-related books, games, and music for their support of the project, as well as early access to the site, member-to-member discounts, and a certificate of appreciation.
The reaction to the campaign hasn't been universally positive, however (to put it mildly). On Sunday (June 4th), RMC Retro asked his followers on Twitter what they think of the new project and many felt it was unnecessary given the existence of sites like the English Amiga Board. Here is a selection of some of the reactions that we came across:
What do you think of this idea? Does the Commodore community need another online hub? Let us know in the comments!