Copyright eurogamer
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl developer GSC Game World has struck down co-op survival horror shooter Misery with a DMCA alleging copyright infringement. After Valve said it had no option but to take down the game before it too was subject to a copyright claim, the Misery team - chiefly consisting of a solo developer called Maewing - claimed it was "under attack!", insisting Misery is "a completely different concept, happening in the fictional Republic of Zaslavie, and it has nothing to do" with GSC's Stalker 2. "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. It is all either originally created or legally licensed. We also think that this is an abuse of power against small independent developers by a large corporation, and it should not be a thing," the team wrote of its game, which released on Steam on 23rd October. "We do not pose any threat to GSC or their IP, we do not compete with their games, nor do we use any of their IP. Of course, Misery was inspired by many things, including games, movies, and books, but filing a DMCA strike for that is wrong. We also want to remind GSC that their games draw heavily from Roadside Picnic and the Stalker movie by Tarkovsky, and they do not own the copyright on depressive Soviet-era buildings, playing guitar, vodka, radiation, or abandoned locations, or even the poo." As a consequence of the claim, the game has disappeared from the Steam storefront. "We are 100% sure this misunderstanding will be resolved, Misery will be back on Steam very soon, and we will see many amazing updates and new content," the team added. "This is very unfortunate and painful for us, both mentally and financially, but the development continues, all the updates will be delivered on time, and soon we can play Misery again." The message from Valve included screenshots comparing Misery to Stalker 2, including side-by-side comparisons of a gloomy, Soviet-era neightbourhood from Stalker: Call of Prypiat and a similar environment in Misery. Another side-by-side comparison shows characters in both games sitting around a fire wearing gas masks, playing guitar. The team closed on imploring people not to review-bomb GSC, writing: "do not insult them or other people in comments, especially for their nationality! We do not want or support that". However, in the privacy of its members-only Discord channel, the developer was considerably less polite and posted a screed of pejorative slurs, prompting a follow-up apology. "[After the DMCA strike], some people found my old posts and comments that included inappropriate and offensive statements," the developer said (thanks, PC Gamer). "Many are rightfully upset, and I completely understand why. First of all, I want to acknowledge and take full responsibility for my past words. What I wrote was immature, thoughtless, and wrong. It does not represent who I am today or what I believe in, and I deeply regret posting it. "I do not support any form of extremism, violence, or discrimination against any group of people. I truly value and respect our players and friends from all countries and backgrounds. As for the DMCA strike we will handle it calmly and professionally. There is no basis for it, and I believe Valve will review the situation fairly." Since then, Reddit investigators believe they've found unsubstantiated evidence that assets from Stalker 2 were indeed used to create Misery, which may be why GSC has cracked down particularly on this developer and not other copycat titles. Others purport it may be because the developer, and seemingly some elements of the game's fanbase, allegedly supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and GSC is a Ukranian studio. Earlier this year, GSC Game World announced its plans for updates to Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl for the remainder of 2025. Big ticket updates include tweaks and changes to the A-Life system, Unreal Engine 5 performance gains, and new night vision devices to play with.
