It would most likely come as no shock given Ironmace’s ongoing authorized dispute with Nexon, however the studio introduced immediately that the deliberate early entry launch of Darkish and Darker (opens in new tab) has been delayed.
“We really hate not having the ability to talk as freely as we normally do, nonetheless because of the delicate nature of our present state of affairs, we are able to’t expose an excessive amount of info proper now,” Ironmace mentioned on the Darkish and Darker Discord (opens in new tab). “I do know this isn’t the announcement everybody wished to listen to however we wanted to let our followers know that the Early Entry launch has been delayed a bit.
“Simply know that we’re engaged on a ton of issues to make sure the sport will get out to you as quickly as potential. We ask everybody to carry the road just a bit longer. Thanks!”
A launch date for Darkish and Darker hadn’t been introduced, however Ironmace has beforehand mentioned it anticipated early entry to start in late April or early Could, adopted by a full launch in This autumn of this yr.
A demo for Darkish and Darker turned a significant hit on Steam throughout the Subsequent Fest that passed off earlier this yr. Though it was an alpha take a look at and clearly not prepared for launch, tens of hundreds of gamers embraced the sport (opens in new tab) throughout its temporary availability on Steam. However as its reputation grew, so did the depth of Ironmace’s dispute with Nexon, which accused the studio of constructing the sport utilizing ideas and belongings stolen from certainly one of its cancelled tasks. That led to the demo’s removing from Steam (opens in new tab), forcing Ironmace to distribute its remaining pre-early entry playtest construct through Bittorrent, an effort that was surprisingly profitable. The studio additionally lastly fired again at Nexon (opens in new tab) in earnest in April, saying its allegations are “nothing greater than anti-competitive bully techniques designed to place a small indie agency out of enterprise.”
Well-liked opinion appears very a lot on Ironmace’s facet however that does not change the fact on the bottom, which is that it’s going through some very critical allegations leveled by a significant recreation writer. That is an enormous drawback, particularly for a small studio, so it is comprehensible that Ironmace would have its consideration centered on the dispute, reasonably than on assembly an arbitrary Darkish and Darker launch goal. I’ve reached out to Ironmace for extra info on the delay and a potential new launch goal, and can replace if I obtain a reply.
