“Frogwares did not create the version of @TheSinkingCity that is on sale today on @Steam. We do not recommend buying this version. More news coming soon.” The developer wrote.
The Sinking City was removed from Steam, the Epic Games Store and the Xbox One and PS4 digital storefronts on August 25, 2020, after legal disputes between Frogwares with BigBen Interactive and Nacon.
Frogwares has accused these companies of repeatedly violating the contract, withholding at least € 1 million in royalties, falsely suggesting ownership of PI and more.
During the development of The Sinking City, Frogware claimed that BigBen and Nacon would pay for production milestones about 40 days later than agreed. In addition, these companies demanded that they receive the source code for The Sinking City, despite their agreement saying that they could only sell the game and that they did not own the IP.
When Frogwares declined, they said BigBen and Nacon stopped providing payments for four months.Frogwares started a legal battle with BigBen and Nacon in August 2019 over these issues and more, including concerns about Frogwares’ Sherlock Holmes games.
The Sinking City, which is inspired by the works of the horror writer HP Lovecraft, was released in 2019. In our analysis, we said: “The creation of a new Lovecraftian vision by The Sinking City paired with compelling stories, exciting environments and memorable characters Make for one of the best traditional Cthulhu games I’ve ever played. His commitment to tastefully updating narrative methods, while preserving Lovecraft’s atmosphere and tone shines through boredom and frustration. ”
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Adam Bankhurst is an IGN news writer. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.