Dark and Darker Early Access release delayed "a bit" amid ongoing legal uncertainties

Four adventurers journey into a dim dungeon
(Image credit: Ironmace)

Dark and Darker's Early Access launch has been delayed out of its vague early May window, but the devs are working to ensure the game releases "as soon as possible."

"We truly hate not being able to communicate as freely as we usually do, however due to the sensitive nature of our current situation, we can’t divulge too much information right now," Terence Seung-ha Park, CEO of developer Ironmace, said in an announcement on Dark and Darker's official Discord.

"I know this isn’t the announcement everyone wanted to hear but we needed to let our fans know that the Early Access release has been delayed a bit. Just know that we are working on a ton of things to ensure the game gets out to you as soon as possible. We ask everyone to hold the line just a little longer."

Ironmace had never previously confirmed a firm release date for Dark and Darker in Early Access, but in an interview earlier this year, the devs suggested a launch in late April or early May was likely. That was before Nexon accused Ironmace of stealing its assets in the development of Dark and Darker, however, a claim Ironmace has repeatedly denied.

Since that accusation, the game has been delisted from Steam, leading to its most recent playtest being distributed via torrent. Nexon has formally sued Ironmace for copyright infringement, even as lawyers representing Ironmace have called Nexon's claims "anti-competitive bully tactics" in a bid to get the game back on Steam.

Who knows when or if Dark and Darker will join the ranks of the best co-op games.

Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.