An Edmonton Oilers fan says a product that was supposed create more of a party atmosphere while watching his favourite team has been more of a “party pooper.”
Matt Stockal says his wife purchased a $300 Fantasy Scoreboard for him as a gift. The scoreboard is supposed to link to NHL games in real-time through an app, which allows a red light to light up every time your favourite team scores a goal.
“I loved it. I used it every day no matter if the Oilers were playing or not,” Stockal said. “I would look up other games while I was watching one on TV, just a great way of keeping track of two games at the same time.”
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Stockal says the scoreboard, which was officially licensed by the NHL, worked during the last NHL season, but this pre-season it stopped operating.
“Basically, now it’s just a bunch of zeros on a board. You can’t even use it as a clock anymore,” he said.
“There’s an app that you have to download in order for it to work through your phone and I think for Android users you can’t even download the app anymore. You can for Apple products but once you download it it’s not responsive.”
Stockal posted his concerns on his Facebook page, which resulted in others replying that they’ve had similar issues with the scoreboard.
He says he tried to contact creators Will Nault and Tyler Richards, who are also Edmonton-area residents, but he didn’t received a response.
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Global News reached out to Nault, who responded that the company has suspended operations.
“We are actively seeking investors and/or up to including full sale of the business,” Nault said. “These actions are regrettable but unfortunately we had no other choice.”
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Global News also contacted Design 1st, which is a company that built Fantasy Scoreboards but wasn’t involved with the server or connection to the data feed.
“We certainly understand the frustration that each user feels, but we do not have a solution to the situation,” vice-president of operations Ian Kayser said. “Perhaps someone will purchase the IP from the previous owners and restart the business, but we are not aware of any activity in this area.”
Skockal says he understands businesses go under but he believes efforts should still be made to make sure the scoreboards operate for those who purchased it.
“Even though the business stopped working, they could have stopped selling them, but at least they could have looked after the people who did support it,” he said.
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Nault said unfortunately that’s not possible due to the cost and the losses the company has already endured.
The one thing everyone involved seems to want is for new owners or investors to step in and get Fantasy Scoreboards back up and running.
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