If I talk to you about ‘The Sinking City’ it’s possible that it doesn’t ring a bell, but the truth is that it has been part of one of the longest (and impossible to understand) legal soap operas in the gaming scene. One could understand that it got mixed up with a great game, but this little Lovecraft-style indie has made more headlines for its legal problems than for the game itself. And whether you like it or not, it’s a shame.
Because I want to be like Lovecraft
June 27, 2019. Nacon distributes ‘The Sinking City’, a small indie game by Frogwares, on PC and consoles. It receives average ratings in the specialized press and quickly falls into oblivion despite its qualities. Nacon only had the right to distribute the game until April 20, 2020, and Frogwares decided not to renew the contract due to intellectual property violation… and lack of payment. That’s where the mess begins.
On August 25th, it disappeared from all virtual stores (except for Switch, where Frogwares themselves published it). In February 2021, Nacon republished it on Steam and the developer complained, stating that their game was not like that and that it had been hacked and modified. On March 2nd, 2021, they managed to have it removed from the platform. Since then, silence.
And now, finally, in January 2024, Frogwares has announced that the trial has ended and they can re-release ‘The Sinking City’ without any issues for all platforms, including PC. However, saved games will not be able to continue in the latest version of the game (although on Steam you can play the previous version to finish it), which will be removed on February 28th.
In addition, it will come with the DLC installed for free and improved performance issues. For now, Frogwares is already thinking about a possible sequel. If possible, without endless lawsuits: four years is definitely too many years for a game about Lovecraft.
