Another dispute between publisher and developer has rendered a new release inaccessible on Steam. This time it’s Roots of Pacha from developer Soda Den and publisher Crytivo that launched on Valve’s platform on April 25th and was delisted this past Saturday, May 13th. Soda Den took to Twitter shortly after to address the game’s disappearance:
As you may have noticed, the Roots of Pacha Steam page is temporarily offline.
We are sad to report that we have been engaged in a dispute with Crytivo over the rights to Roots of Pacha. We worked hard to amicably resolve our issue with Crytivo internally. Instead of working with us to address the issue, Crytivo went to Valve and authorized them to remove Roots of Pacha from Steam without our knowledge or consent.
While we work out our issues with Crytivo, we’ll continue developing Roots of Pacha with the same energy we’ve always put into it. We couldn’t be any more thankful for the overall reception of the game. We’re currently working on a roadmap and are excited to say it’ll be ready for you next month!
We’re cautiously optimistic that Roots of Pacha will return to Steam very soon.
Soda Den Tweet – May 13, 2023
Later that same day publisher Crytivo replied on Twitter with a public statement of their own, alleging that it was Soda Den’s actions that led to the game’s removal.
We want to address the recent developments concerning the Roots of Pacha game and its removal from Steam. We understand this news may be frustrating for our fans, and we assure you, our team is working diligently to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
The Crytivo team has worked hard on making Roots of Pacha a success. We’ve closely collaborated with the Soda Den team for 3 years, providing support and guidance throughout the journey leading up to the game’s launch on April 25th.
On April 27th, just two days after the successful release, we received an unexpected message from the Soda Den team, informing us they were claiming to unilaterally rescind the contract we had worked under for three years, treating it as void. This disregarded all of our work and the agreed-upon revenue-sharing contract terms. Shortly after, they removed our access to the Steam page for our team.
Per Valve Policy, if there is a dispute between parties, they remove the page until the dispute is resolved.
We sincerely appreciate your support and understanding during this challenging time. Rest assured, we are committed to resolving this situation and ensuring that Roots of Pacha returns to Steam. We will continue working closely with all parties involved, including Valve, to reach a satisfactory resolution.
Of course, we have so much more to share about this incredible journey, and we stand proudly behind the services we have provided.
We’re not seeking anything but the benefit of the contract we worked hard under for three years. This is an extremely challenging time for our team.
Thank you for being a part of our family and for your unwavering support.
Crytivo Tweet – May 13, 2023
Hopefully the details can be ironed out in secret and Pacha can return to sale soon especially as it’s also planned to come to consoles and the Epic Games Store in the future. Thanks to everyone who pointed out the news on this one.