A Japanese indie developer says their game is stuck in review on Steam due to alleged copyright concerns over assets they themselves created and own, creating a situation that’s tricky for them to navigate as a small-scale creator.
As reported by Game*Spark, Daikichi_EMP, developer of the upcoming 3D anime-style action game WIRED TOKYO 2007, apologized for a delay in the game’s planned free demo release on April 30, sharing details of the holdup. According to screenshots of their correspondence with Steam’s support, the platform seems to have flagged certain elements of the game as potential third-party IP violations.
However, as Daikichi_EMP claims, WIRED TOKYO 2007 does not reference any third-party IPs, only the board games Second Best and Dyno Stone, both of which Daikichi_EMP themselves created and owns the rights to. The developer explained as much and submitted links and evidence to prove it (showing that both board games were published under the same handle), but Steam’s position on the matter didn’t change. The response shared by the developer continued to cite possible similarities to existing works, such as “a dinosaur-themed card game” (referring to Daikichi’s Dyno Stone).
It seems that the proof provided by Daikichi did not hold enough legal weight, as they were asked to provide assurance either in the form of license agreements to the IPs, or a legal opinion from their attorney analyzing the intellectual property issues and explaining why they don’t need licenses. “Without such assurances, we don’t plan to ship your app,” said the response from Steam.
While it’s entirely reasonable for Steam to be vigilant about potential IP violations in the games it hosts and sells on its platform, Daikichi_EMP expressed frustration with the lack of options they were left with, explaining that hiring a lawyer was not financially feasible for them as an indie creator.
According to an update from May 2, the developer has attempted to resubmit the game for review after writing up a signed document that grants them permission to their own creative works, including Second Best and Dyno Stone, and awaits a response.
WIRED TOKYO 2007, a 3D action game in which you climb a mysterious structure floating in the skies above Tokyo, is currently in development for PC (Steam), with a planned release window in 2027. A free demo is (hopefully) coming soon.
