The upcoming smartphone adaptation of the highly-anticipated hack 'n slash extraction dungeon crawler, currently known as Dark and Darker Mobile, is poised for a significant transformation. Recent reports suggest that Krafton is not only planning to change the game's name but also to terminate its agreement with Ironmace Studio. This move comes at a challenging time for Ironmace, following a court order to pay $6 million in damages to Nexon over an ongoing lawsuit. The lawsuit centers on allegations that Ironmace, founded by former Nexon employees, utilized trade secrets from Nexon's cancelled project, codenamed P3, to develop Dark and Darker.
Despite Krafton's assertion that the name change is unrelated to the lawsuit ruling, they have also announced the termination of their global licensing agreement with Ironmace. This means that Dark and Darker Mobile, or its future rebranded version, will proceed as a fully standalone release.
The situation raises ethical questions, especially given that Ironmace initially filed a lawsuit against Nexon for copyright infringement. Ironically, even after ending their partnership, Krafton appears ready to rebrand and continue with the project. This development signals a potential shift in the genre, opening the floodgates for similar releases.
For fans eagerly awaiting Dark and Darker Mobile, this news isn't necessarily negative. Krafton has confirmed that they will adhere to the previously announced global release schedule. However, should there be any changes or further developments, we will keep you informed.
We remain hopeful that the full launch of Dark and Darker Mobile will uphold the high standards we highlighted in our review.
Darkest of dungeons
