The Sinking City has returned to Steam after being rolled out across multiple digital platforms, but developer Frogwares has said it did not create this version and does not recommend that anyone buy it.
Frogwares took to Twitter to share this update, promising that more news would be on the way soon regarding their warning.
“Frogwares did not create the version of @TheSinkingCity that is currently sold on @Steam. We do not recommend purchasing this version. More news soon.” The developer wrote.
The town of Sinking was removed from Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the digital faces of Xbox One and PS4 on August 25, 2020, following Frogwares legal disputes with publisher BigBen Interactive and Nacon.
Frogwares accused these companies of breaking a contract again, withholding at least € 1 million in realms, misleading IP ownership, and more.
When the town of Sinking City was developed, Frogware said BigBen and Nacon would pay for production milestones about 40 days later that were agreed. In addition, these companies demanded that they obtain the source code for The Sinking City despite their agreement stating that they could only sell the game and did not have the IP.
When Frogwares declined, they said BigBen and Nacon would stop making payments for four months.
Frogwares started a legal battle with BigBen and Nacon in August 2019 over these issues and many more, amid concerns about Frogwares ’Sherlock Holmes games.
Inspired by the work of horror writer HP Lovecraft, Sinking City was released in 2019. In our review, we said, “Sinking City has created a new Lovecraftian look with strong stories, inspiring environments, and memorable characters making for one of the best Cthulhu folk games I’ve ever played. The passion for updating the storytelling techniques is delicious, while preserving Lovecraft’s setting and tone shines through the setting and harassment. “
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Adam Bankhurst is a news correspondent for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.