After it was taken down from video game storefronts last year following a 2023 copyright lawsuit, "Dark and Darker" seems to be making its return on various platforms. This, however, did not last long as the Epic Games Store has taken the title down again.
The developers behind the controversial game, Ironmace, have faced a copyright infringement lawsuit since 2023 from the South Korean company, Nexon, and their legal battle ensues to this day.
As of writing, the reason behind Epic Games' takedown remains unknown, but that leaves Ironmace again in an unfavorable position.
'Dark and Darker' Gets Taken Down from Epic Games Store
A report from Eurogamer has shared that "Dark and Darker" is now being taken off storefronts yet again, and this time, it is the Epic Games Store that delisted the game. Ironmace and "Dark and Darker" have been trying to regain their footing in the gaming industry after being hit with a lawsuit two years ago as the game was only re-released last year.
However, the company's problems returning as they have been shunned by the Epic Games Store, with "Dark and Darker" only enjoying several months of availability on the platform.
That being said, Ironmace has already addressed the game's removal on the Epic Games Store in their recent post on the official "Dark and Darker" Discord channel (via PCGamesN), saying that they are now working to understand the reason behind the takedown.
However, there is still a ray of hope for fans, as only the base or standard game was removed but "Dark and Darker: Legendary Status" remains available on the Epic Games Store as of writing.
It also remains unknown as of press time if players who have already bought the game would lose their copies of the title, but it is most likely that their copies will remain.
There is a danger that the other services will no longer be available as Epic Games no longer hosts it.
Ironmace vs. Nexon: Copyright Lawsuit Continues
Nexon took the battle against Ironmace over their alleged copyright infringement to court, with the company filing the lawsuit back in 2023, and then filing an injunction to have the game removed from Steam.
The court has since denied Nexon's request for an injunction back in January 2024, and this led to the game returning to the Epic Games Store in March and to Steam by June.
Ironmace's message on Discord did not explicitly name the parties involved in the latest takedown against "Dark and Darker."
While a South Korean court ruled in favor of Ironmace, saying that they did not infringe on Nexon regarding "Dark and Darker," it was ruled that the company infringed on trade secrets, which asks them to pay $6 million in damages.
