The creators of "Dark and Darker," Ironmace Games, are again in trouble as the fantasy extraction-based dungeon crawler has officially been delisted from the Epic Games Store.
The delisting comes after an ongoing legal dispute with former employer Nexon, which claims that Ironmace stole assets from a canceled internal project and used them to develop the hit game.
Epic Games Store Delisting Sparks Confusion
Ironmace issued the delisting via a message posted on their official Discord server as well as through direct email to gamers.
In an explanation from the developer, Epic Games moved on the action after being presented with a complaint from the "opposing party in the ongoing legal dispute"—Nexon.
Ironmace says it was not provided with a detailed explanation for the removal and is currently seeking clarification.
Players were also notified that not only will the game not be available for purchase, but it will be pulled from current user libraries as of November 1. This surprise move took many by storm, as delistings typically do not include already purchased games.
Refunds Available for Some Purchases
Epic Games replied with action by announcing that players who have bought the "Legendary Status" add-on to "Dark and Darker" would be refunded their money, according to PC Gamer.
Unfortunately, players who paid for Redstone Shards, an in-game currency, will not be included in the final reimbursement.
The partial refund policy has been met with divided opinions among the community, with some praising Epic's initiative while others condemning the incomplete coverage.
Steam Version Still Available For Now
At the time of this writing, "Dark and Darker" is still up on Steam. The game came back to Valve's platform about a year after it was originally removed for the same legal reasons. Whether the Steam version will meet the same fate remains to be seen, but under the circumstances, players should exercise caution.
The disparity in platform decisions brings into question the way each virtual storefront resolves third-party legal conflicts. If Nexon ramps up efforts, Steam may be compelled to do the same, jeopardizing the game's entire digital existence.
Background on the Legal Dispute with Nexon
The court drama started when Nexon blamed Ironmace for utilizing the proprietary property of a shelved project called "P3."
Ironmace, a company made up of former Nexon staff, rejected all the claims with the assertion that "Dark and Darker" was constructed solely using original content. As firm as Ironmace's denial was, allegations caused several interruptions to the game's release and availability.
In February, a South Korean court made a ruling in favor of Nexon, pushing the game off the shelves of Epic Games. It is this court ruling that now seems to have culminated in the complete drop of "Dark and Darker" from the Epic store.
