On November 8, Platypus Entertainment, the developer of "MISERY", announced through the Steam community that the game had been removed from the Steam platform.As of this writing, the game has not yet been re-released..The reason is that GSC Game World, the developer of the "Stalker" series, filed a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) infringement lawsuit.

Platypus Entertainment comprehensively denies GSC Game World's accusations, calling them "completely baseless" and saying it will take action to restore sales on Steam.

"MISERY" is a roguelite survival game that supports cooperation for up to 5 people. It is set in the fictional country "Zaslavi Republic" after the nuclear disaster.Players play the role of members of a civilian military company, exploring isolated areas and fighting against the threats of abnormal phenomena and mutant creatures. At the same time, they need to manage hunger, mental strength and other states to survive.

According to the official community, GSC Game World claimed that "MISERY" infringed its intellectual property rights and pointed out that players frequently mentioned "Stalker" in their comments, which harmed GSC's business interests.

In response, Platypus Entertainment countered that the background of "MISERY" is set in the fictional "Zaslavi Republic", which is a completely different concept and has no connection with the world view of "Stalker" or Chernobyl.No characters, plots, materials, music or codes of GSC are used in the game. All content is original or obtained through legal authorization.

In addition, Platypus also pointed out that GSC's own works are also deeply influenced by the novel "Roadside Picnic" and the film of the same name directed by Tarkovsky.Platypus sarcastically stated that the GSC did not own the copyright to elements such as "gloomy Soviet architecture," "guitar playing," "vodka," "radiation" or "feces."

As of now, GSC Game World has not issued any official statement regarding this DMCA complaint.

Platypus Entertainment emphasized that this incident was just "a misunderstanding" and they are confident that the problem will be resolved soon and "MISERY" will return to the Steam platform.At the same time, we also appeal to community players not to bombard GSC's games with negative reviews, nor to conduct insulting attacks on relevant personnel based on nationality and other factors.