Indie game Misery gets taken down on Steam following DMCA request alleging asset theft by Stalker 2 devs
GSC Game World, the developers behind the long-awaited Stalker sequel, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, have filed a DMCA takedown notice against a new indie PS1-stylized co-op shooter, Misery, which bears a striking resemblance to GSC’s Stalker 2. Subsequently, Valve has delisted Misery from its Steam Store page.
The claim was detailed via an email from GSC’s Olga Yakovlenko to Misery’s solo developer, Maewing, and publisher Ytopia/Platypus Entertainment. In the email, GSC alleged that Misery uses Stalker’s intellectual property, consisting of plot elements, scenes, design, artwork, scenarios, and branding.
Many standalone free-to-play mods for the original trilogy of Stalker have been on the internet for ages, such as Stalker: Anomaly, Into the Radius, Chornobylite, and Stalker: Call of Chernobyl. Misery, however, has been the first outlier to be flagged with a DMCA claim.
Valve’s notice for the DMCA claim included screenshots comparing Misery’s Steam page, including a foggy atmosphere, environments similar to the zone, avatars in gas masks, a guitar player around a campfire, and anomalies, all visuals similar to Stalker 2 and older titles.
Misery was launched on Steam on October 23 for $8.99. It attracted 5,097 concurrent players on Steam on launch day, serving as a supplement for many gamers awaiting Stalker 2’s multiplayer mode, which is rumored to release sometime in late 2026.
The indie Stalker clone, developed by a 19-year-old solo developer, Maewing, is set in the fictional republic of Zaslavie after a nuclear disaster.
Misery gradually peaked at over 12,000 concurrent players in three days, but by November 7, Misery’s team posted a Steam community announcement titled, “We are under attack!” The team denied any wrongdoing, stating:
MISERY is a completely different concept, happening in the fictional Republic of Zaslavie, and it has nothing to do with the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe, Chernobyl, etc. MISERY uses no characters, plot, storyline, assets, monsters, music, code, etc., from their games.
It is all either created or legally licensed. We also think that this is an abuse of power against small independent developers by a large corporation, and it should not be a thing.
The developers stated that Misery “doesn’t pose a threat to GSC or their IP” and does not compete with their games. They also clarified that development for the game continues with the team hoping for the best: “We are 100% sure this misunderstanding will be resolved. Misery will be back on Steam very soon, and we will see many amazing updates and new content.”
The developers urged fans not to bombard GSC with negative reviews or insult the developers for that matter.
Maewing later filed a counter-notice with Valve, causing a 10-business-day review period during which the Misery’s store page will remain down unless GSC responds. Players who already purchased the game continue to play Misery.
However, the story took a turn for the worse when Maewing’s reaction in the members-only Misery Discord group surfaced, reading:
F**KING GSC GAY WORLD SEND US STRIKE FOR WEIRD AHH SH*T, JUST LOOK AT THE CLAIMS OF THOSE RETARDS. We will fight rn to return our game back!!!
Unsurprisingly, this inside comment garnered significant backlash, to which Misery’s developer responded with an apology:
After the DMCA strike, some people found my old posts and comments that included inappropriate and offensive statements. Many are rightfully upset, and I completely understand why.
First of all, I want to acknowledge and take full responsibility for my past words. What I wrote was immature, thoughtless, and wrong. It does not represent who I am today or what I believe in, and I deeply regret posting it.
I do not support any form of extremism, violence, or discrimination against any group of people. I truly value and respect our players and friends from all countries and backgrounds. As for the DMCA strike, we will handle it calmly and professionally. There is no basis for it, and I believe Valve will review the situation fairly.
Reddit sleuths however, have taken their time investigating the allegations of asset theft and have come up with a few key pieces off evidence. They found that a gate model was ripped directly from Stalker and used in-game, an unused MI-8 helicopter model in Stalker’s files, replicated windchimes, and similar guitar tunes, which are still not owned by GSC.
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