In the world of role-playing games (RPGs), the name Dark and Darker has created quite a stir, not least for its untimely removal from Valve’s online gaming platform, Steam, back in March. The game, developed by Ironmace, was ousted from the platform amidst allegations of copyright infringement by Nexon, a prominent publishing company.
There are, however, recent developments suggesting that Dark and Darker may make a comeback on Steam, playtests and all, despite the ongoing legal predicament. Let’s delve into the details.
The Ironmace-developed Dark and Darker found itself at the center of controversy when Nexon claimed that assets from their separate project, informally referred to as ‘P3’, were illicitly appropriated by Ironmace’s team to create the RPG.
This led to the removal of Dark and Darker from Steam and a subsequent lawsuit by Nexon against Ironmace. Intriguingly, the legal filing from Nexon suggests that former Nexon employees, who had later joined Ironmace, were the culprits in the alleged asset theft.
Persisting Through Legal Wrangles: Playtests and Potential Comeback
Despite the pending resolution of the legal issues, Ironmace has shown remarkable resilience by conducting independent playtests of Dark and Darker outside the Steam platform. These playtests, Ironmace alleges, have been hampered by Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
Yet, there is a glimmer of hope for Dark and Darker fans. Recent alterations in the game’s Steam database are suggestive of the RPG’s impending return to Valve’s digital distribution platform.
On May 17, Dark and Darker’s backend on Steam underwent two notable updates. The first update concerned the game’s primary store listing on Steam. The second was somewhat more cryptic, introducing a beta tag labeled ‘Dark and Darker playtest.’
Speculations and Similar Precedents
The implications of these updates seem to hint at something stirring behind the scenes for Dark and Darker. A similar pattern of backend updates on Steam was observed a few months ago with Counter-Strike Global Offensive, and the aftermath of those updates is now well-known in the gaming community.
While it’s premature to declare Dark and Darker’s definitive return, the signs are promising. Rest assured, we will maintain a vigilant watch over the developments in Dark and Darker’s database details and update you with any significant revelations.
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