Epic is delisting Dark and Darker and wiping game from player libraries

As the industry forces players towards an increasingly physical-less future, what can be done to prevent some games from disappearing for good?

In a move that is bound to worry anyone who's taken steps to digitize their gaming library in recent years, Epic Games has announced they will be removing Dark and Darker not only from the store, but from user libraries as well.

According to Epic, the move comes in response to a February, 2025, court decision in Korea following a copyright infringement case brought against the game's developer-publisher Ironmace by Nexon.

Interestingly, that ruling sided with Ironmace on the copyright front, but ordered them to pay Nexon $6 million for infringing on their trade secrets.

Not the first time Dark and Darker has been removed from sale

This isn't actually the first time the dungeon crawler has been pulled from a storefront. Steam removed the game from sale in March 2023, after Ironmace received a cease and desist letter from Nexon, which signaled the start of this legal tussle.

However, it later returned, and — at the time of writing — Dark and Darker is currently still available on Steam.

Losing any game is disappointing, and although Dark and Darker is a free-to-play PC game, there was an optional $30 Legendary Status account upgrade, which got you (among other things) additional character slots, increased XP, access to high-roller dungeons, better loot, the ability to sell items on the marketplace, and the ability to use exclusive trading post.

It was given away for free by Epic a few months ago. But if you paid for Dark and Darker Legendary Status, the good news is that you'll be receiving a full refund. Which is something, we guess.

Dark and Darker's departure: another dark day for games preservation

It's all a bit of a mess, and is just another case in the long-running debate surrounding game preservation and the shift towards an all-digital future for games.

Thankfully, there are initiatives out there focused on preventing this sort of thing, such as consumer-movement Stop Killing Games, and GOG's own Preservation Program.

But it feels as though the good guys are swimming against the tide, especially when platform holders like Epic show they have more than enough power to simply reach in and remove games from our libraries.

What are your thoughts on this news? Even if you've never played Dark and Darker, does it worry you that digital games can be simply stripped away from your library? How much of a threat do you think this sort of thing poses to games preservation? Maybe you don't care?! Whatever the case, drop us your thoughts in the comments.