No Players Online returns after an 'unfounded DMCA claim' halted sales for nearly three weeks

Showing yet again that the DMCA system is not fit for purpose, No Players Online launched on Steam on November 6 and then got taken down but it's back.

What is it? No Players Online is an expanded now-commercial remake of the free 2019 cult-hit that's still up on itch.io. The story goes: buried among the files on the computer is a broken multiplayer shooter that seems to have been left running for years. As you progress, you will be pulled further and further into the rotting digital world that will twist your curiosity into an obsession as new secrets about the world behind the screen are revealed.

What happened? After launching on November 6th, sometime around November 13th the game was abruptly hidden on Steam. Turns out, a "former friend" of the developers sent Valve a DMCA notice. Thankfully, the situation has been sorted and the game has returned but the damage to their launch has been done.

Their statement:

recently, No Players Online was removed from steam for nearly 3 weeks right after launch following a DMCA claim made by a former friend. they claimed to be a co-author of the game despite not having done anything for it. NPO was made completely from scratch by our team.

despite trying to clarify to them the past couple months that their allegations were completely unfounded, they recklessly filed the DMCA to steam without any notice, and the game was taken down on november 13th. we immediately filed a counter-notice, and today the game has been reinstated after the time for them to respond has passed.

we spent 2 and a half years of our lives and a ton of money making this game. we also have a lot of people who believed in us and wanted us to succeed. it’s crazy to me that someone can just take down our game by filling out a simple form, and it’s been tough trying to reconcile with this betrayal from someone i considered a dear friend.

we sincerely apologize to everyone who was unable to purchase or access the game during the past few weeks. this situation has had a significant impact on us, especially given how crucial the first months after release are for small indies like us. we lost out on much needed momentum and revenue right after the release of our game and we’re unsure if we will be able to recover financially from this given our already thin margins.

we are committed to doing all that we have planned still for No Players Online, but at this point we are unsure about the future of our studio. any visibility on our game at this point would be crucial, so if you want to support a little indie studio please leave a review on steam and share the game to the internet. <3

much love,
adam pype, the beeswax team and black lantern collective.

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