Ironmace made headlines yesterday with the launch of its fantasy-themed extraction shooter, ‘Dark and Darker.’ However, the game has left the conventional route in terms of release. It has bypassed the popular gaming platform Steam. The reason is an ongoing legal dispute with Korean gaming giant Nexon.
YouTuber Onepeg first brought the news of the exclusion of Steam to light. It was later confirmed by PC Gamer. Players can get the game from the official Dark and Darker website and a Korean-based game-selling site called Chaf Games. On top of that, the official website experienced technical difficulties on the day of the launch. Similarly, the purchase button on the Chaf Games listing was also non-functional.
Ironmace’s fantasy extraction shooter was initially set to launch in early access on Steam earlier this year. However, a legal battle with Nexon disrupted these plans. Apparently, Nexon issued a DMCA takedown notice. The allegation against Ironmace was that it has unlawfully used code and assets from a canceled Nexon project to create ‘Dark and Darker.’
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Ironmace has denied these allegations, and legal proceedings are ongoing both in the United States and Korea.
Ironmace has taken the bold step of developing its own launcher and selling the game directly to consumers. Ironmace’s CEO, Terence Park, reached out to the content creator to provide details about the launch.
There are two editions of the game for players to choose from: the standard edition priced at $35 and the “Hold the Line” Founder’s Edition priced at $50.
The more expensive Founder’s Edition comes with exclusive in-game content. It offers a skeleton character skin, torch, and emote.
Through gameplay, players can earn blue shards (a currency introduced in the game) and use them to purchase cosmetic items. Additionally, purchasing the game provides players with an initial five Blue Shards.
‘Dark and Darker’ garnered significant attention during its earlier playtests on Steam. In fact, it became one of the most played games on the platform during Steam Next Fest. It hosted over 110,000 concurrent players. After the removal of the playtests from Steam, Ironmace delivered the game through a torrent during the most recent playtest in April.
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