7 Days To Die, an sandbox game combining elements of FPS, survival horror and tower defense, has been pulled from Steam following a DMCA takedown from Tripwire Interactive. Tripwire alleges that the game has lifted elements directly from its flagship game Killing Floor.
This is a sad turn for what was a highly successful Kickstarter from just earlier this year. Developer Fun Pimps Entertainment was able to raise $ 507,612 of their $ 200,000 goal, indicating there was a fanbase interested in their game concept, and they were able to cement loyalty for the game very early.
However, the campaign period had not even ended when a Killing Floor fan revealed that they had seen the game using stolen assets, on their Kickstarter pitch video to boot. The CLOT infected model from Tripwire’s game was purportedly obviously taken and used here. On the same thread, in the same day, a mod from Tripwire itself replied. They explained that they were already aware of the infringement and taking action on it.
Here's the offending model from their Kickstarter pitch:
As reported a few days ago, Fun Pimps eventually received a DMCA takedown notice, and attorney Tom Buscaglia stepped forward to provide details on the notice.
Tripwire was able to trace that their CLOT infected model was taken and put up for sale on the Unity asset store. Unity took the appropriate actions immediately, banning said seller and notifying the purchasers. They also talked to Fun Pimps directly, who insisted the model was a placeholder. However, they did not replace said model for too long, so Tripwire felt compelled to take legal action.
Fun Pimps has also updated their fans on the situation on their own forums. They explain that they are updating the game to remove the asset soon, and are also talking to Valve about getting the ban lifted. Apparently a content update was already in the works, and so they are making sure to polish that up before it goes out.
Let’s try not to take sides on this issue, as it was one that could have been easily resolved, and will hopefully be cleared up soon. As Tripwire’s attorney Buscaglia himself says, he thinks the game looks nice and wants it to be a success too! But not before they stop using Tripwire’s IP.
