Developer GSC Game World has issued a DMCA claim against the co-op survival horror game Misery, leading to its removal from Steam. The claim alleges copyright infringement with Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, despite the Misery team's insistence that their game is original and unrelated. Valve removed the title to avoid potential legal issues.
Background on the Dispute
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, developed by Ukrainian studio GSC Game World, has become the target of several copycat games, but Misery faced direct action through a DMCA notice. Misery, a co-op survival horror shooter primarily created by solo developer Maewing, launched on Steam on October 23. The game features gloomy, Soviet-era environments and mechanics reminiscent of the Stalker series, prompting GSC's intervention.
Details of the Claim
Valve informed the Misery team that it had no choice but to delist the game following GSC's copyright infringement allegation. Screenshots provided by Valve highlighted similarities, including side-by-side comparisons of abandoned neighborhoods from Stalker: Call of Pripyat and Misery, as well as scenes of characters in gas masks playing guitar around a fire.
The Misery team responded publicly, asserting that their game is set in the fictional Republic of Zaslavie and uses no assets, characters, plot, or code from Stalker. 'It has nothing to do with the Stalker universe, Chernobyl, etc. Misery uses no characters, plot, storyline, assets, monsters, music, code, etc., from their games,' they wrote. They described the action as 'an abuse of power against small independent developers by a large corporation' and urged fans not to review-bomb GSC or engage in nationality-based insults.
Developer's Response and Apology
In a members-only Discord, the developer posted offensive remarks, later apologizing publicly. 'What I wrote was immature, thoughtless, and wrong. It does not represent who I am today,' Maewing stated. The team remains optimistic: 'We are 100% sure this misunderstanding will be resolved, Misery will be back on Steam very soon.'
Rumors on Reddit suggest Misery may have used Stalker 2 assets, though unconfirmed, and point to the developer's alleged support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a factor, given GSC's Ukrainian origins. The team maintains development continues uninterrupted.