Minecraft Convention Cancelled Days before Start, Con-Goers Calling it a Scam

Fans of Minecraft who were planning on attending MineOrama were surprised as this weekend's convention was cancelled and many people still have yet to get a refund for their ticket.

CVG reports that an upcoming, unofficial Minecraft convention, MineOrama, has been cancelled days before its start, and many would-be con-goers are claiming they were swindled out of their money due to their inability to get a refunds for their tickets. MineOrama was originally scheduled to happen this weekend, July 12-13, at Pier 92/94 in New York with a hefty price of $150 for a weekend badge to the event. Fans are even more furious due to the short notice of this cancellation, since many people are unable to cancel their flights and hotel reservations by this point without having to pay a significant amount. The convention's organizers have responded to the influx of angry fans by claiming they have not scammed their ticket-buyers and would-be attendees.

The individuals behind MineOrama claim that the event has been postponed due to financing plans to support the convention falling through. Its organizers claim that after several redesigns and cutbacks, the bare bones event costs $750,000. They also claim that their ticket sales were not enough to cover the costs of the convention. Only 10 percent of the ticket sales proceedings were intended to go to MineOrama's staff and organizers, with everything else intended to fund the event. MineOrama claims that a large amount of its comped tickets were intended to go to the school children of New York.

"We understand your frustration and we are working tirelessly to appease the situation," MineOrama organizer Lou Gasco said. "We will be having a Q&A session here tomorrow at 2PM. It is very easy to jump into conclusions without knowing facts. We hope we can clarify as much as possible tomorrow at 2PM. We too are mad."

Later, Gasco's Tweets via MineORama's official Twitter gave partial explanations as to why the event was postponed.

Even though Gasco explained MineOrama's situation, mobs of would-be attendees have been posting angry messages to the event's Twitter and Facebook pages. Many of these people are frustrated as to the difficulty of trying to receive a refund for their $150 weekend badges along with the abruptness of the event's cancellation, resulting in many people still being charged for their hefty traveling and hotel costs. Factoring in how expensive it is to travel to NY, let alone book a hotel in it, and many of these frustrations are justified.

"I realize that whatever I say does not change the situation. Many are hurt. I am truly sorry. We will do a Twitch to answer more," Gasco offered. "We are committed to making this right. Our intent was good. Replanning next week, and will keep in touch with the community."

According to CVG, Yogscast broadcaster Bebopvox claims that Ginnel Davis of Pier 92/94 claims that Gasco never followed up on his payments for the event. Davis confirmed to Bebopvox that MineOrama was cancelled and Pier 92/94 was given away to another event.