Dark and Darker dev asks players to torrent latest playtest after Steam delisting
"We've had to go old school this time."
Dark and Darker studio Ironmace Games has asked players to torrent the mediaeval extraction looter's latest build following its delisting from Steam last month amid ongoing legal woes.
Dark and Darker had a bit of a moment when its third playlest gained more than 100,000 concurrent players during Steam's Next Fest back in February, but that initial success soon took a turn when Ironmace was accused of making its game "using materials and assets they worked on during their time" at developer Nexon.
Although Ironmace has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, the studio was subjected to a police raid in response to those accusations and Dark and Darker's Steam listing was ultimately removed following a cease and and desist demand from Nexon. At the time, Ironmace said it was working with its legal team to remedy the issue.
Its legal troubles don't appear to have dissuaded Ironmace from continuing its work, however, and the studio has now released its fifth Dark and Darker playtest - which was previously expected to be one of the final playtests before the game went into Steam Early Access proper - albeit through rather unconventional means.
As Ironmace announced on its Dark and Darker Discord channel, "Due to the complexities of our situation, especially across international lines, it is taking time to resolve the Steam situation. In order for us to keep our promise to our fans we've had to go old school this time."
More specifically, players wishing to get in on the playtest will need to download the latest Dark and Darker game client using a torrent link provided by the developer. "Do not get the torrent from any other sources," it warns, "as we cannot guarantee the integrity of any other links".
With no obvious end in sight for its legal issues, Ironmace says "all future patches will be distributed in this manner". And as for its progress on reaching a resolution with Nexon, it merely added, "Rest assured that we are working around the clock to safeguard the continuance of Dark and Darker."
Dark and Darker's current playtest will run from today, 14th April to Wednesday, 19th April.