Recently Dark and Darker by Ironmace, a Korean developer has used ChatGPT to prove a non-infringement on copyright claims. An accusation from Nexon (Another Korean developer) claims that its game (P3) was used as a Dark and Darker prototype. This could also be stirred up by the fact that some of Ironmace’s employees used to work for Nexon.
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Ironmace says all of Nexon’s accusations are based on distorted claims. Nexon has taken a further step of serving a cease and desist letter and DMCA takedown on Ironmace. This all resulted in the removal of Dark and Darker from Steam. Reportedly Ironmace is working on getting the game back on Steam.
Ironmace penned a statement addressing the allegations of Copyright infringement and misappropriation of Trade Secrets. In their statement, they used a segment from ChatGPT. Ironmace used the chatbot to show the generic nature of the “premise of adventures delving into dungeons full of monsters and treasures in their quest for riches.” They stated that the feature was common and broadly applied in many fantasy games.
That was the response received from ChatGPT when asked to create “a description for a generic PvP Dungeon Crawling Game.” This is a feature that can also be found in Dark and Darker and Nexon’s P3.
The gameplay in both games requires strategic decision-making as players decide when to attack another player or players. Players must also focus on advancing through the dungeon while managing their resources with a limited supply of spells, weapons, and health.
To reach the deepest level of the dungeon is the ultimate goal and defeat the big boss. All this is done by defeating and outsmarting other players. Players can enjoy the game in both PvE and PvP gameplay while the game offers a competitive experience.
Ironmace further defended itself by saying the shared characteristics could have easily been found in other games with the same genre. In addition to that Ironmace spoke about the employee that left Nexon and said he left the company due to a breakdown of trust with one of his superiors and the uncertain atmosphere. Nexon defended itself by saying it fired the employee on some claims. Apparently, these claims can’t be proved.
Apparently, when the employee left Nexon he said he would pursue a project similar to P3 although the development would be from scratch. Nexon has taken the further step of filing a lawsuit against the employee. Ironmace also took note of the several other employees they hired from Nexon. Ironmace also says they have proof that reveals they have done nothing unlawful by developing Dark and Darker.
Nexon also finds it hard to prove the allegations as they fail to provide actual evidence. Nexon also accused Ironmace of a flagrant breach that restricts them from publishing their game to the largest mainstream PC game platform. Ironmace said they welcome the competition from Nexon as they request Nexon to renounce the baseless claims.
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