A “once respected member” of the game’s community has filed a series of DMCA takedown requests that has, at this time, removed Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic from sale on Steam. The member in question is Storpappa, an avid fan of the game who created a guide for making it even more challenging, dubbing it COSMONAUT MODE. Developer 3Division recently added a mode of their own to the Early Access title called Realistic Mode which Storpappa alleges they created through their guide.
The disagreement has been simmering in the community since the beginning of the year with 3Division posting a lengthy announcement on February 9th that compared Storpappa’s guide with in-game content. They summed up the situation stating that “there is nothing in his work in terms of game design that would relate directly to game’s code, and he does not offer any technical solutions for the development team to use”.
Apparently unsatisfied with the explanation, Storpappa filed DMCA claims against the game on Steam, a video showcasing Realistic Mode on YouTube, and even the studio’s website. The site has since returned, the YouTube video remains offline, and the game itself was removed from Steam on February 15th. 3Division has filed a counter-claim with Steam and things are now awaiting review.
Work continues on the game despite it not being on sale at this time while those who previously purchased it are able to continue playing. It seems likely that Workers & Resources will return to sale in time but when that might happen is obviously uncertain.
Sources: GamesIndustry.biz, RockPaperShotgun