Frogwares, the developer behind the 2019 horror title, The Sinking City, is starting 2024 on a high note. The Kyiv-based developers, embroiled in a legal battle in recent years, made an important announcement that marks a significant turn in the game’s tumultuous journey.
After a prolonged legal battle with its former PC publisher Nacon, Frogwares has successfully regained its ownership as well as publishing rights for The Sinking City on all platforms. This development follows a particularly troublesome time for the game, which saw it pulled from various storefronts due to disputes between Frogwares and Nacon.
The resolution of the issues is welcome news for fans who have long wanted to see what kind of game The Sinking City could become if Frogwares had the necessary resources to properly support it.
Folks, we got some big news!
Frogwares is now the sole publisher of The Sinking City on all platforms! We're happy to finally put this whole thing behind us, and we look forward to sharing more news about the future of the franchise very soon.
Please read our full statement pic.twitter.com/IxWblqbYmP
— The Sinking City (@thesinkingcity) January 2, 2024
The conflict between Frogwares and Nacon began when Frogwares accused Nacon of breaching contract, withholding at least €1 million in royalties, and falsely implying ownership of the IP. This dispute eventually led to the game being removed from several platforms in 2020. In 2021, a version of The Sinking City reappeared on Steam, but Frogwares urged players not to purchase it, alleging it was a pirated version uploaded by Nacon without their consent. The situation escalated with Frogwares filing a DMCA takedown to have this version removed from Steam.
After a series of legal wranglings, the Paris Court of Appeal ruled that The Sinking City can remain on sale until both of the concerned parties can resolve the matter. This decision did not mark the end of the conflict, but it allowed the game to return to stores for a time. However, Frogwares was adamant about the game being sold without their backing.
Now, with the dispute finally resolved, Frogwares has announced plans to update the PC version of The Sinking City on platforms including Steam, Epic Games, GOG, and Gamesplanet. The updated version is expected to include all previous bug fixes and optimizations. However, the developer has warned that old save files will not be compatible with the new version.
To accommodate players currently playing the game, Frogwares will keep the older version available until February 28, 2024, and will also release new saves for players to download and use on Steam or the Epic Games Store.
In addition to these updates, Frogwares is working on a new DLC. Merciful Madness is an upcoming update designed to exclusively support their version of the game. The studio also expressed its relief at putting the dispute behind them and looks forward to sharing more news about the future of the franchise.
The Sinking City, known for its Lovecraftian themes and investigation mechanics, is set in a world envisioned by the late H.P. Lovecraft. The game takes place after The Shadow Over Innsmouth and deals with the fallout of the said story. Fans have praised it for capturing the eldritch horror of Lovecraft’s works and seamlessly blending it within the framework of a detective adventure title. Frogwares, widely known for their Sherlock Holmes series, brought their expertise in detective games to the Lovecraftian universe with The Sinking City.
Players who enjoyed Frogwares’ interpretation of Lovecraft’s world in The Sinking City can look forward to experiencing the game in its most polished form, with the developer regaining control and promising to deliver the game’s full potential.
