Update []:
Limited Run has issued a statement:
Original Story: Physical publisher Limited Run Games has been accused by one of its customers of selling NES cartridges which can potentially damage consoles.
Jordi Gutiérrez Hermoso got in touch with Time Extension to explain the situation, pointing out that Limited Run has been publishing carts which cause voltage issues with original hardware. This is a topic that was explored in some detail by DB Electronics a few years ago; the problem is that there's a mismatch between the 3.3V carts and the 5V systems they're being used on.
"So far, I've caught them doing it with Rugrats and PioPow," Gutiérrez Hermoso tells us. He complained directly to Limited Run, pointing out that, although the cart has a voltage regulator, "it has no logic level translation. This means that the parts on the board constantly draw power from signals that are not intended to provide power and will damage the cart and my NES. This cartridge is a tiny time bomb for my electronics."
Gutiérrez Hermoso also points out that the game itself "has logical errors, which have since been patched on the Steam release, such as a 2-player softlock that will affect almost all players in a co-op run" and adds that he is "dismayed by the quality" of the product. "They agreed to give me a 50% refund and keep the game, which I have done," he tells us.
After submitting this complaint, Gutiérrez Hermoso received PioPow and found that it, too, was using the wrong voltage. "As you yourself have covered, Josh Fairhurst has reportedly said that bad production quality is fine because most customers never open the box, let alone play the game."
Gutiérrez Hermoso isn't the only person who has flagged this issue; this Reddit post highlights the same problem but has been removed by moderators of the Limited Run subreddit.
However, a reply is still visible, which says:
I’m also out of patience with LRG due to lack of quality control on their NES boards they choose to publish on. The past 2-3 games I’ve purchased from them don’t function correctly because they’re clearly sourcing the cheapest boards possible.
It’s very sad and upsetting that the only official release of Piopow was published on such low quality hardware. Find someone who has dumped the rom and save yourself from having to put this trash board in your NES.
I’m actively lobbying NES developers to avoid publishing with LRG. These releases are an embarrassment to the NES development community.
We've reached out to Limited Run Games and will update this piece when we hear back.