In April, Tyson Butler-Boschma, an indie developer with Toybox Games, built a Superman demo with Unreal Engine 5 and released it for free on itch.io. However, an outfit with the name Hero Game Studios took the title and listed it on Steam for $10.99 without Butler-Boschma's consent or knowledge. While it has taken some time, Steam has finally delisted the demo from its platform.
After a fan notified Butler-Boschma of the occurrence, he began taking steps to have Steam delist it. He filed a DMCA takedown with the game distribution platform and encouraged his followers to report it. However, his efforts seemed to be for naught as Steam dragged its feet on taking any action.
As a result, Butler-Boschma joined the demo's Steam discussion boards and began to warn potential buyers to steer clear. Because of this, the supposed Hero Game Studios banned him with the excuse that he was spreading hate speech.
Following this event, Butler-Boschma purchased a copy of the game and left a review on the platform to alert fans that it was stolen. The indie developer stated that he made the game as a proof-of-concept with free assets. He further stated that he bought the game, played it, and confirmed that it was his creation from start to end, including a message he added to explain how users can navigate the game.