We'll keep an eye on this situation as it develops. We've reached out to both Nexon and Ironmace for comment and will update if and when we receive a response.

Dark and Darker early access release delayed: 'We ask everyone to Dark And Darker Gold hold the line just a little longer'

Dark and Darker - A player swings a sowrd at a mummy in a torchlit dungeon hall

It will probably come as no surprise given Ironmace's ongoing legal dispute with Nexon, but the studio announced today that the planned early access release of Dark and Darker has been delayed.

"We truly hate not being able to communicate as freely as we usually do, however due to the sensitive nature of our current situation, we can’t divulge too much information right now," Ironmace said on the Dark and Darker Discord. "I know this isn’t the announcement everyone wanted to hear but we needed to let our fans know that the Early Access release has been delayed a bit.

"Just know that we are working on a ton of things to ensure the game gets out to you as soon as possible. We ask everyone to hold the line just a little longer. Thanks!"

A release date for Dark and Darker hadn't been announced, but Ironmace has previously said it expected early access to cheap Dark And Darker Gold begin in late April or early May, followed by a full launch in Q4 of this year.

A demo for Dark and Darker became a major hit on Steam during the Next Fest that took place earlier this year. Even though it was an alpha test and clearly not ready for release, tens of thousands of players embraced the game during its brief availability on Steam. But as its popularity grew, so did the intensity of Ironmace's dispute with Nexon, which accused the studio of building the game using concepts and assets stolen from one of its cancelled projects.