Developer Frogwares has had a really hard time with their publisher Nacon. Initially, the publisher didn’t pay them for work completed, and then tried to steal the product they were working on. It’s the shadiest business stuff I’ve ever seen, but now the publisher has truly shown their colours. As the video below should show you, the version of The Sinking City that’s currently on Steam is a hacked version that was purchased by Nacon and hacked before being reuploaded. It’s a poor hack at that too. Do not buy this version of the game until you know for sure that Frogwares will profit from it.
This video was made by the game’s developer. It will be part of the ongoing legal case that will now probably lead to the owner of Nacon facing charges for breaking IP law. They may end up in jail for seven years, all for a really terrible hack of a game that isn’t theirs.
I’ve covered this dispute to death in the past, so I won’t repeat everything here. What I do want to get across to you is that even if you don’t play their games, you need to support Frogwares. This developer lost all revenue streams last year when Nacon cut ties with them. Thankfully, they’re able to make money again now. However, there’s still a long road ahead of them before they see justice.
The crux of this issue is that Nacon seems to believe that it can get away with anything. They’ve hired developers to hack a game, something they were either told was legal, or knew was illegal. The upper management has no place in business and needs to be fired as soon as possible. I have nothing against Nacon as a company, but definitely against those who were behind these awful decisions. This all amounts to lying and business practices that were used almost 100 years ago to get one over on your competitors. There’s a reason companies don’t do this sort of thing anymore because the law protects those you think you can screw over.
As the ultimate little guy and underdog in this situation, please show your support to Frogwares.