Around the end of July 2011, there was a dispute between "The Escapist" and James Portnow, the producer of "Extra Credits". After not being paid for months, the "Extra Credits" team needed to pay for surgery for their artist, Allison Theus. They began a charity fund on RocketHub, separate from "The Escapist", and received substantially more money than was necessary for Theus's surgery. They planned to use this extra money to create a game publishing label, where the revenue would go directly into funding subsequent projects. Alexander Macris, owner and co-founder of The Escapist, stated the money should have been used to create more episodes of "Extra Credits" for "The Escapist" and to compensate Themis Media for donation incentives, such as premium memberships and T-shirts.