Dark And Darker Has Been Completely Removed From Steam

Dark and Darker has been completely removed from Steam due to the publishing company Nexon’s copyright claims. The developer Ironmace has issued an announcement on its Discord server and shared that their title has been removed from Valve’s storefront because of a series of “distorted claims.”

The co-op dungeon crawler became one of the most popular games on Steam when it landed on the platform back in February. Even though it was only a demo, Ironmace’s free RPG did gain massive traction during Steam Next Fest and allowed players to delve into the deep denizens with their friends in classic Dungeons and Dragons fashion. But there will be no more of that (at least for the time being, anyway), as Ironmace’s hit title has run into some legal problems, and has been delisted from Steam.

RELATED: Hands-On: Dark And Darker Is A Brutal PvPvE Dungeon Crawl

The Korea-based developer has shared an announcement with fans, saying that they have been served “a cease and desist letter and DMCA takedown by Nexon regarding Dark and Darker based on distorted claims.” While Ironmace states they are working on the situation to remedy the issue, they have not revealed any details about it, saying that its “sensitive legal nature” can jeopardize their position against the DMCA claim.

This means that those who crave some dungeon-crawling action will have to wait until Dark and Darker is back on Valve’s storefront. Until then the developer asks fans to be understanding as they try to bring back their unforgiving fantasy RPG. This probably means that the scheduled playtest in April will be delayed as well, but this is merely speculation for the time being.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time the Korean game studio has bumped into legal issues, though. Ironmace studio was raided by South Korean police on March 8 following Nexon’s allegations, which essentially stated that the Dark and Darker developers used stolen assets and staff during the game’s development.

The game publishing company claimed that the former leader of their P3 project leaked thousands of assets and was fired in 2021. Nexon also shared that the former lead suggested their teammates quit the company and develop a game that is similar to project P3. The Japanese-Korean publisher now believes that Ironmace’s hit RPG has “striking similarities” with project P3, and claims the title’s development heavily depended on the stolen data, assets, and even personnel.

Although Ironmace denied Nexon’s allegations, the recent DMCA takedown shows that the crisis between the two studios is still in action. While it is difficult to guess if the title will make a reappearance on Steam, it is safe to say that it has had a remarkable debut on the platform and was shaping up to have a bright future.

NEXT: Debunking Blizzard’s Excuse For Why Diablo 4 Lacks Local Co-op On PC