[SwellJoe]

That's why I suspect lying (over-promising, making outrageous claims, whatever) would be needed for an unheard of company to make a large sum of money on nothing more than a promise.

Yes, Blizzard could pre-sell products, because they have millions of fans that trust them to produce good games. Can a company no one has ever heard of do the same? If the founders are famous from prior ventures, perhaps, but completely unknown? It seems unlikely.

So, I guess if one could concoct a scheme that would work, honestly, and for unknown founders and an unknown startup, that would be interesting and inspiring. I lack the imagination required to figure out how to do it (as do the folks behind this particular scheme, since it seems pretty obvious that they chose the over-promise and outrageous claims path).