"Pirated ROMs hurt small indie teams": Legendary Japanese dev asks gamers to "please support us through official channels" after a "hacked ROM" of new 16-bit shooter appears following Steam release

Earthion, a new 16-bit shmup, launched on Steam last week to no shortage of praise from retro fanatics. This is a genuine Sega Genesis (or Mega Drive, if you prefer) game developed to run on retro hardware, and the Steam version is essentially an emulator with an encrypted ROM file packaged in. That ROM file has now made it to the internet at large, but the devs are begging players to support the official release.

"A hacked ROM of Earthion is being circulated online," according to a tweet from Yuzo Koshiro, legendary Streets of Rage composer and game director on Earthion. "Some people may think it’s official, but it’s not. The official version is available only on Steam for now. The MD/Gen version will launch next year as a cartridge only. No downloadable ROM is planned. Please support us through official channels."

It's not hard to distribute a 16-bit ROM at this stage of the internet, but the devs at Ancient did make some anti-piracy efforts. "We actually did encrypt the ROM in the Steam version, but unfortunately it was cracked," Koshiro explains. "We could try different methods, but in the end it’s always a game of cat and mouse."

Earthion | Digital Launch Trailer - YouTube

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The proper cartridge version of Earthion is due to launch sometime next year via Limited Run Games. Unlike a modern digital release, a Genesis cartridge can't be updated after release, which is why the old-school version is coming so much later than this digital release. "We want to make sure it's in the best shape possible," Koshiro says in a follow-up tweet.

Still, that wait has given eager Sega fanatics even more reason to look for a raw Earthion ROM, which would allow them to play using a flash cart on original hardware or an FPGA device. Given the ready availability of Genesis ROMs on the internet, some fans might not think twice about pirating even a brand-new release like this. Koshiro alludes to "certain agreements" with external partners preventing the studio from simply releasing the ROM itself, even a paid version, to fans.

"We're sincerely grateful to everyone supporting Earthion through official means," Koshiro says. "Pirated ROMs hurt small indie teams like ours. We've poured our hearts into this game and want people to enjoy it as intended. Your support makes a real difference."

Go old-school with our guide to the best Sega Genesis games of all time.