It's necessary for downloading. Installation doesn't need Steam, and execution depends on the game.

This is enfuriating, I am glad I didn't back this thing!

Wish i never now.

As i just posted this on the kickstarter forum i think this sums up what this has turned out

I have help fund several several kickstarters and to me this has turned out as the worst experience for me. For a good kickstarter Larian studios Divinity Sin was first class they kept us informed all the way letting us know in advance when items would not be in release such as some companions but they put it in post release but told us well in advance and listened to their backers.
FD on the other hand have not and dropping a bombshell less than a month from release in a sentence in a newsletter was just the worst i have ever seen. Now they wonder why us backers want a refund which they seem to not want to give and these guys are making EA and Ubisoft into saints.

They denied everyones refunds! What a rip!

Help us, Chris Roberts-Kenobi. You're our only hope!

Just as a question, can they really get away with saying you have played the game, as it is still a Beta and basically the players are there for testing? The game is not released and not a finished product that is sold.

No I don't, you have to show that it ISN'T the case.

Wow. They consider an incomplete beta to be a "product".

Until they deliver a game, it's a pre-order. I'm not surprised, these people are clearly not 100% sane and are trying to steal people's money.

These sure are dark times for Kickstarter. I remember that I started to take KS seriously when I was following Elite: Dangerous campaign.

I would laugh my ass off if Braben & Co. gets hit with class action lawsuits now.

Such a message isn't a valid solution to this problem - but it could well be, that they won't refund because too many people have requested one, as it might cripple Frontier financially.

For now thats only pure speculation though.

Edit:

"Worth remembering that Frontier Developments is a loss making public company. How long will the servers stay online if the game isn't the success they hope. How long even if it is. I'd be astonished if the servers are online 5 years from now."

-Rod Harrison

I received exactly the same response, not a similar response, exactly the same word by word...

Looks like we all are getting the same message so much for a case by case basis

They just sent this standard message to everyone, regardless of what they bought or played!

For distribution. Installation and execution may or may not require Steam. The distinction isn't on needed/necessary, it's on which stage needs it.
Carmageddon 1. DosBox game, so after distribution, you can close Steam and play it. There's no installation in it. Same for X-Com: UFO Defense.
Your turn.

Kickstarter is a good thing - but being a marketplace of ideas, you must carefully examine who is doing the selling and determine if they will do right by you.

As for Frontier Development, they are on my blacklist. There is no value in dealing with someone who possesses such malignant greed.