Sinking City Devs Warn Fans Not to Purchase from Steam

The development studio behind the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired horror title, Sinking City, are warning fans not to purchase their game from Steam.

Frogwares, the Ukranian team behind the game, took to Twitter on Friday, Feb. 26, in an attempt to explain exactly why prospective players should steer clear of Valve's Steam platform. In a tweet published on their official Twitter profile, they wrote, "Frogwares has not created the version of
@thesinkingcity that is today on sale on @Steam."

Here's what we know.

Sinking City Devs Tell Players Not to Buy on Steam

According to the Sinking City Steam store listing, this version was actually published by Frogwares' longtime adversary, Nacon. The two companies have been locked in a legal battle since 2019, a full year before Frogwares finally pulled the game off Steam in August 2020—despite attempts to resolve the matter peacefully.

Players appear to have taken notice--on the legal front and not--as reviews for the game have tanked on its listing. According to several accounts, the version up for purchase at this time is an older build of the game. It contains "no achievements, no DLC, [and] no cloud saves," as Steam user Intelligence put it.

"Old and unsupported version of the game from a thieving publisher!" Wrote user Shatteredspine6, "Bought before I found out. Refunded!"

"Even the game options are broken (I could not change the resolution, even after restarting the game!). This stripped down, older, scam version of the game is a hot mess. DO NOT BUY!" User alenjenny commented.

Some dispute this claim, stating that the build is perfectly acceptable and up to date.

"Claims about early build are false! Game has DLC outfits that came with latest updates, also include Worshippers of the Necronomicon DLC," wrote user ???????.

However, the reviews remain marked as "Mixed." Only 48% of the ~120 reviews and growing on the listing are positive.

In its lawsuit, Frogwares accused Nacon of attempting to file a copyright on Sinking City post-launch. Nacon allegedly stopped paying Frogwares, owing them several milestone payments and royalties that total near €1 million.

However, only two months after the developers took matters into their own hands, the Paris Court of Appeal stepped in to rule that Frogwares' removal of the game from Steam sales was unlawful in and of itself. The court demanded the title be left alone while both parties were still taking legal action to avoid a breach of contract.

The Sinking City is available on Steam for $39.99 USD, but currently 60% off at $16 USD. It can also be bought in both Standard and Deluxe Edition on Frogwares' website.

Nacon, Frogwares, and Steam have yet to put out any other official statements regarding this situation at the time of writing.