It's not a scam, no. This game has indeed been in development for many years, and is a real game. Well, it's a "scam" if you think that giving money to Herve Caen is him scamming you, which is a debatable point I will admit, but the game IS real. If Interplay hadn't lost that lawsuit to Bethesda, I think we'd have seen more of FOOL (aka PV13) by now, but losing the Fallout name can't have helped...
Anyway, as much as I dislike Herve Caen for what he did to Interplay, I am interested to see if PV13 is actually any good. Actually making this game has been his goal for so long now, and it has some pretty nice concept art from before they lost the lawsuit, too... I hope it actually releases eventually, I really do.
They definitely have a sense of humor, at least...
Except you missed that they outright lying. Their pitch even contradict itself in many places and in many places don't even make a sense.
1. They are using Black Isle name which was killed many years ago to capitalize nostalgia where there are probably no people from old blackisle on board. 1st part of scam
2. They said they have in mind creating V13 prototype. In the same pitch they say that project have been in development for many years. So why are they trying fundraiser to make prototype ? If project was many years in development this game should be in alpha already. What we know is that Fallout MMO (V13) was canned few years ago. Which point that they are lying.
3. Their whole pitch program gives you freaking forum titles and they say in the same text that they will refund pledges -their costs of running fundraiser.
I don't know who is involved this is scam and people who are involved should be ashamed. There is nothing worse than lying and making false claims to your community,
If they would pitch project without this Black Isle/eliteForumbadges/pseudoprototype madness but just postapocalyptic RPG with proper project sheet, design work concept art and for most of all truthful i would fund project without hesitation.
Such a shame instead of proper pitch we have scam.