Nexon is the developer behind titles like Maple Story and Godzilla Defense Force, but it currently has a game in the Dark And Darker Gold Coins works dubbed P3 that shares a suspicious number of similarities with Dark and Darker. Because there are developers working on Dark and Darker with experience at Nexon that could've been privy to P3, Nexon noticed "major gameplay, rules, and art" similarities between the two titles after an investigation. As a result, Nexon has issued a DMCA and cease and desist to Ironmace regarding the work being done on Dark and Darker and its Steam status, but Ironmace seems undeterred by the legalities and plans to move forward through torrenting.

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According to a Discord post about Dark and Darker from the developer, players will need to access the game through a torrent rather than an official client like Steam, which the developer has given instructions on how to do. Dark and Darker fans will have to download torrenting software in order to download the latest version of the client, which Ironmace has provided a magnet link to in its community posts. Torrenting is often considered illegal due to its association with pirating, and there are other issues for Dark and Darker fans to consider like potential malware from the torrenting software download. With this in mind, the RPG may lose some fans in the transition into unofficial means.

Given that Ironmace is based in South Korea, there's a prospective playerbase that may have been able to play the game through official means, but now will no longer be able to play it due to game rating regulations in the country that the developer is adhering to. Dark and Darker really gained traction during Steam Next Fest as it became the most-played demo during the event, but it may have caused Nexon to look into the similarities between it and P3. South Korean police have already raided Ironmace studios over this legal dispute with Nexon which should hint at its severity, but the smaller developer's dedication to the project may be a glimmer of hope for Dark and Darker fans.

As Dark and Darker hasn't been officially released yet and is already embroiled in such legal troubles with Nexon, it's currently unclear if the game will make it to cheap Darker Gold launch despite P3 still being unrevealed. Ironmace has also taken down a GoFundMe campaign that has added another strange stipulation to the legal dispute with the Maple Story dev in which they requested funds to maintain development while covering potential legal fees.