Backrooms 1998 Developer Struggling To Get “Exact 1:1 Copy” Of Indie Game Pulled From Nintendo E-Shop

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Summary

  • The Backrooms 1998 had its content illegally stolen and repackaged as a copycat title.
  • Although PlayStation and Microsoft have taken copies down, Nintendo’s version has stayed up.
  • This is just one example amidst a wave of AI copies and scams flooding storefronts.

Recently, the Nintendo eShop has seen an unfortunate pattern emerge. Instead of original content, there’s been a flood of titles that mimic existing games, often accompanied by the use of AI technology. This influx of copied, re-packaged games is aimed at helping unscrupulous publishers make a quick profit without creating something genuinely new or innovative.

It’s particularly disappointing to learn this news directly from an independent developer. In a lengthy Reddit post, the lone indie developer Steelkrill revealed that their game The Backrooms 1998, which was just fully released on Steam and other major platforms, has been unlawfully duplicated and re-published.

Fortunately, the deceptive video game known as Backrooms Horror Escape was taken down from both the Xbox and PlayStation digital marketplaces. However, quite unexpectedly, it is still being offered for sale on the Nintendo eShop, which continues to uphold Nintendo’s reputation for deliberate decision-making pace.

Should you remain uncertain if this game actually matches Steelkrill’s description of being an “identical replica,” here are some comparative images, which are among the most compelling evidence from numerous ones they’ve shared on Imgur.

In 1998, the game “Backrooms Horror Escape,” which imitates “The Backrooms 1998,” was both developed and published by COOL DEVS S.R.L, a publishing company known for producing numerous questionable, potentially fraudulent titles that often incorporate AI elements in their assets and cover art.

As a passionate gamer, let me share my thoughts on the latest trick they’ve pulled off – the TCG Empire: Card Shop Simulator. It seems like they’ve drawn heavy inspiration from the beloved Pokémon Franchise and the recent sensation in the TCG world, Card Shop Simulator. Essentially, it appears they’ve created an exact replica of a game that was itself a playful imitation.

According to Steelkrill’s version of events, it seems that COOL DEVS S.R.L might not just be publishing in-house reproductions as it appears. Instead, there are allegations suggesting they took a significant amount of their custom assets and designs directly from their own game.

In essence, they kept all the elements that make up the game – the music, the sound effects, the voiceovers, and more. The only modifications they made were to replace the monster and the image in the frame.

It’s not just a harmless joke or casual copying; instead, COOl DEVS S.R.L is clearly trying to earn profits by blatantly misappropriating someone else’s intellectual property.

It’s important to note that we’re not trying to level serious allegations, but considering the resemblance of their other games, like the TCG Card Shop Simulator, to budget-friendly titles, it’s possible that Steelkrill isn’t the only one who might have had their work copied.

The Issue Behind Nintendo’s Inaction

It can’t be pleasant at all when someone takes credit for your own hard work. But what makes this situation particularly concerning is Nintendo’s lack of action in removing the copied game.

After promptly pulling games from PlayStation and Xbox platforms, it seems like a glaring indication for Nintendo. Regrettably, as reported by Steelkrill in an interview with nintendolife, they are still pondering over the request before making a decision.

As per Steelkrill’s opinion, platform owners like Nintendo should establish stricter policies for game approvals, improve their refund systems, and strengthen their reporting mechanisms. This could potentially help address issues related to mismanagement in the gaming industry.

Nintendo appears to be investigating the issue, but it seems quite evident that someone has unlawfully copied your game, likely using software to download all the scenes and resources. The duplicated game is an identical replica of yours, filled with subpar AI-generated assets, intentionally designed to deceive players into thinking it’s the genuine article.

Although some might think that doing nothing is acceptable because it gives companies time to prevent honest titles from being wrongly removed due to system misuses, it’s crucial to acknowledge that the problem persists as scammers are still finding ways to abuse these system vulnerabilities.

It’s disheartening to witness another instance of Nintendo’s questionable legal strategies, particularly when they impact a single, self-reliant game developer, who typically operates independently.

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2025-02-27 04:09