Article: Why Was Dark and Darker Removed from Steam

Despite being offline for nearly a year, Dark and Darker has made its comeback on Steam. For those unfamiliar, there may be some questions surrounding the game’s controversial legal problems and price adjustments. Thus, the question remains: why was Dark and Darker taken down from Steam in the first place?

Dark and Darker: Why Was It Not On Steam?

dark and darker nexon controversy — Image via Ironmace

Around one year ago, Steam removed Dark and Darker due to legal problems caused by Nexon. According to Ironmace, they received a cease and desist letter and DMCA takedown from Nexon, citing false accusations. As a result, Dark and Darker was taken down from Steam and Ironmace’s social media posts became more cautious and restricted as they handled the situation.

To put it simply, the problem revolved around Nexon accusing Ironmace of using stolen code for their games Dark and Darker. Along with this accusation, Nexon also claimed that some of their assets were taken as well. However, the dispute and ensuing legal battle proved to be more complex than it initially seemed, as there were allegations that other games may have used leaks from Nexon. Despite this, Ironmace ultimately came out victorious in a South Korean court in January, with the ruling that Dark and Darker did not violate Nexon’s copyright or trade secrets.

Ultimately, Dark and Darker was re-released on Steam on June 7 as a free-to-play game. However, players soon realized that the game was more of a demo than a full game, with a $30 charge to access all of its content. Despite being available on Steam again, the reviews have shifted from mostly positive to mixed due to the deceptive F2P label. In order to access additional character slots, High-Roller Dungeons, trading, shared stash, and other features, players must pay the $30 fee.

This is the reason why Dark and Darker was taken off of Steam. For additional information, refer to our guide hub for Dark and Darker, and learn how to resolve connection errors.