The gaming community is enthusiastic as Ironmace, the South Korean game developer behind the much-awaited multiplayer fantasy dungeon crawler “Dark and Darker,” makes a bold move despite legal entanglements.
Today marks the game’s Early Access launch on the subscription-based gaming platform Chaf Games, offering a glimmer of hope for fans eagerly awaiting its release.
Ironmace’s decision to proceed with the Early Access launch comes amidst an ongoing lawsuit with Nexon, another prominent player in the gaming industry. Nexon alleges that “Dark and Darker” resembles their own in-development game, “P3.”
The crux of their argument centers around a former employee named Mr. Choi, who Nexon claims leaked crucial assets from “P3” to Ironmace. According to Nexon’s claims, Mr. Choi was a pivotal “P3” project team member before being terminated in August 2021.
The company further alleges that he coerced fellow team members into joining Ironmace and utilizing the leaked “P3” assets to develop “Dark and Darker.” Ironmace has consistently denied these allegations, asserting that their game relies on Unreal Engine assets and original code rather than pilfered content from “P3.”
Amidst this legal maelstrom, Ironmace remains resolute in making “Dark and Darker” available via Early Access on Chaf Games. Despite an initial hiccup with the purchase button on the game’s store page, the launch is reportedly underway.
This saga took a further twist in March when law enforcement reportedly raided Ironmace’s headquarters in Seongnam, searching for evidence related to Nexon’s claims. Following these events, Nexon issued a cease and desist notice to Ironmace, effectively halting the development of “Dark and Darker.”
Subsequently, the game was delisted from Steam due to a DMCA [1] notice filed by Nexon, adding another layer of complexity to the situation. While Ironmace is forging ahead with the Early Access launch on Chaf Games, the company remains committed to returning “Dark and Darker” to Steam as soon as possible.
Ironmace’s CEO, Terence Park, emphasized the importance of Steam as a significant PC storefront and expressed the company’s determination to overcome the obstacles and restore the game to its original platform.
As the curtain rises on “Dark and Darker’s” Early Access phase, players and industry observers are watching closely to see how this contentious narrative unfolds and whether Ironmace’s determination to bring their creation to gamers will ultimately triumph over the legal storm surrounding it.
