A head moderator has been removed from a Persona 5 fanzine after allegedly embezzling over $27,000 CAD from the project to spend in Genshin Impact. "Showtime is a fan anthology focusing on the rivalry between Joker and Crow of Persona 5 featuring illustrations, comics, and fanfiction," reads the site description. The project began on commerce site Etsy and has over 1500 pre-orders. Unfortunately, just over half of the complete magazines were mailed before the project ran out of money for postage of the remaining pre-orders.Related: Leaving Genshin Impact Behind Was The Best Decision I Ever MadeAccording to Showtime's statement, former head moderator Ree misappropriated project funds for personal use, emptying the account of $27,625.10 CAD. The moderation team said that Ree went as far as providing "misleading and out of date banking screenshots to suggest all funds were available," when in actuality the account had been totally exhausted over several months. Only after requests for postage were rejected did Ree confess to appropriating the funds.

Ree has since been removed from Showtime and has returned $3,000 to the project. However, Showtime is unable to take further legal action as the moderators did not have formal contracts with Ree and all funding was processed through Ree's Etsy and personal bank accounts.

Although not explicitly stated, responses to Showtime's announcement confirm Ree spent the bulk of the money on Genshin Impact.

"We are heartbroken to be in this position, and we thank you for your patience as we work hard to salvage the situation Ree's actions have left us in," Showtime wrote. "We hope you will support our fundraiser and also our wonderful contributors, who deserved so much better."

Moderators will host a fundraising drive to recoup as much of the stolen cash as possible, selling digital copies of Showtime as well as donated Persona 5 merchandise. All proceeds will go to fulfilling orders and reimbursing project expenses, and any remainder will be sent to contributors.

Genshim Impact's gambling-like mechanics have drawn sharp criticism for being predatory. Similar to loot boxes, which have been banned in several countries, Genshin Impact introduces random elements to unlocking characters and weapons. In the US, calls are increasing for some sort of legislation to protect young consumers from these practices.