It is going to most likely come as no shock given Ironmace’s ongoing authorized dispute with Nexon, however the studio introduced at this time 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 often do, nevertheless as a result of delicate nature of our present state of affairs, we are able to’t reveal an excessive amount of data 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 would have liked 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 doable. 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 fall of this 12 months.
A demo for Darkish and Darker grew to become a significant hit on Steam through the Subsequent Fest that befell earlier this 12 months. Though it was an alpha check and clearly not prepared for launch, tens of 1000’s of gamers embraced the sport (opens in new tab) throughout its temporary availability on Steam. However as its recognition grew, so did the depth of Ironmace’s dispute with Nexon, which accused the studio of constructing the sport utilizing ideas and property stolen from one in every of its cancelled initiatives. That led to the demo’s elimination from Steam (opens in new tab), forcing Ironmace to distribute its ultimate pre-early entry playtest construct by way of 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 ways designed to place a small indie agency out of enterprise.”
In style opinion appears very a lot on Ironmace’s aspect 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 sport writer. That is a giant downside, particularly for a small studio, so it is comprehensible that Ironmace would have its consideration centered on the dispute, fairly than on assembly an arbitrary Darkish and Darker launch goal. I’ve reached out to Ironmace for extra data on the delay and a doable new launch goal, and can replace if I obtain a reply.