Brazilian indie developer Barely Making Games recently announced that they are considering halting the development of their 90s-inspired train simulator Retro Rail GO!.
Originally planned to release by the end of 2026, Retro Rail GO! attracted significant attention after being featured in the recent Steam Next Fest, and its Wishlists skyrocketed from 700 to almost 2,000 in just two days. But while the initial response was fairly positive, with many praising its nostalgic, low poly feel, the game ended up facing a wave of criticism and “copycat” accusations after getting featured in multiple major media outlets from Japan.
While Retro Rail GO!’s Steam Store page describes it as a heartfelt tribute to Japanese classics, fans of the genre argued that the game crosses the line of “just a homage.” Specifically, many users over on the Japanese side of X pointed out that the game’s visual style, gameplay, and even UI design choices are strikingly similar to Densha de GO! – Taito’s classic arcade train simulator series and probably one of the most recognized train sims in Japan Some went as far as to suggest that Taito and its owner Square Enix should take legal action against the developer on account of copyright infringement. Bearing in mind the potential legal risks ahead, Barely Making Games is “considering giving up on the game altogether.”
I think it’s completely justified if Taito gets angry about this.
There’s this new game that kinda looks like Densha De GO! I fear it might anger JR more than Square Enix…
Well, it is what it is, I guess. But as somebody who was involved in the development of the early Densha De GO! series, I do have some thoughts on it. I saw the trailer, but I didn’t sense even a bit of “love” in it.
In the statement issued following the backlash, the developer explains that, while the game clearly “builds on top of nostalgia,” their aim was not to create a rip-off or infringe on copyrights, and that they never intended to make an asset flip or a “cash grab.” They describe Retro Rail GO! as a solo-developed passion project made with little to no resources, with the goal to deliver a “a tiny experience for a tiny audience.” Apparently, the game was created as a way to fill the train simulator niche for the many overseas fans of the genre who couldn’t experience the original Japanese games due to “high prices and language barriers.”
Barely Making Games also addressed the issue of AI assets being used as placeholders for the now-deleted itch.io demo, explaining that they will be completely removed in the full game and remade by an actual artist.
On the other hand, many users pointed out that these kind of reactions from the community were an “inevitable” outcome, considering how strict Japanese developers and gamer communities are towards unauthorized emulation and copyright infringement.
Well, I’m not sure how to put it but, bringing the game to Japan in such a flashy way was a bad move.
Japanese people are very strict when it comes to that kind of stuff. There are many people who will preach stuff even if they’re not the actual rightsholders.
I’ve always thought it’s best if you don’t let Japanese people find out about your “mods” or “homages.”
