After receiving a stop and desist order and DMCA takedown notice, developer Ironmace removed their dungeon-crawling PvPvE game Dark and Darker from Steam.
According to Eurogamer, it appears the developer, Ironmace, of Dark and Darker may be in hot water after players reported that certain features of the game suddenly stopped working, including PvP and online co-op, and after parts of its Steam page, including all trailers, screenshots, and store description, were scrubbed overnight.
According to a statement published on the Dark and Darker Discord (via Reddit), Nexon has sent a cease-and-desist letter and a DMCA takedown notice for the game due to “distorted statements.”
“Our legal department is hard at work devising a plan to address this matter. The legal implications of this matter are delicate, thus we must choose our words carefully “the message on Discord said. “Please be patient as we attempt to restore the game as soon as possible. Know that we will always go the extra mile for our supporters. Thanks!”
As roughly half of Ironmace’s 20-person staff consists of former Nexon workers, its offices were inspected by Korean investigators earlier this month on suspicion that it could be in possession of stolen code and assets. Yet, according to Ironmace’s official statement, “nothing was discovered” and the search was a “quick procedure.”
Dark & Darker’s future is unclear at this time. If you try to find the game’s page on Steam right now, you’ll end up on the main page instead. Several of its admirers, perhaps surprised by the abrupt delisting, are still active on its community message board.
Unfortunately, it currently looks unlikely that the April 14–19, 2023 public playtest session for Dark and Darker will go place as planned.
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