In a surprising turn of events, the indie game Schedule I, a co-op crime simulation where players ascend from a small-time dope pusher to a kingpin, has found itself at the center of a copyright infringement controversy. The accuser, Movie Games S.A., known for their The Drug Dealer Simulator series, claims that Schedule I has violated their intellectual property rights by allegedly copying their game's plot, mechanics, and user interface. This accusation was highlighted by the Polish Press Agency on April 3, after Movie Games S.A. completed their legal analysis.
However, the community's response has been swift and decisive. Fans of Schedule I have rallied behind the indie title, leading to a significant backlash against Movie Games S.A. Both The Drug Dealer Simulator and Drug Dealer Simulator 2 have been inundated with negative reviews on Steam, with ratings now labeled as "Overwhelmingly Negative" and "Mostly Negative," respectively. The criticism primarily centers around accusations of bullying from Movie Games S.A. towards the indie developer and their perceived hypocrisy, especially since similar games have been released without contest in the past.
Despite the ongoing controversy, Schedule I continues to enjoy immense popularity. Released into Early Access on PC on March 25, it has quickly risen to become Steam's 2nd top-selling game, surpassing well-known titles like inZOI, Monster Hunter Wilds, and the indie-developed R.E.P.O.. The game has achieved an all-time peak of 459,075 concurrent players, according to SteamDB, and boasts "Overwhelmingly Positive" reviews on the platform.
At Game8, we found Schedule I to offer a surprisingly addictive and rewarding experience, earning it the nickname "Breaking Bad" simulator. For a deeper dive into our thoughts on Schedule I's early access release, feel free to explore our detailed article below.
Schedule I Recent Updates
Schedule I’s Copyright Infringement Accuser Gets Review Bombed on Steam
Indie dope pushing simulator title Schedule I has been accused of copyright infringement by Movie Games S.A., the developers of The Drug Dealer Simulator series. As published by the Polish Press Agency on April 3, Movie Games S.A. has finished their legal analysis and concluded that Schedule I may have violated The Drug Dealer Simulator IP rights. Based on their investigation, Schedule I used their games’ plot, mechanics, and even their user interface.
Despite nothing officially coming out of the investigation yet, fans have already sided with either of the titles, but it seems like Schedule I has more supporters. The Drug Dealer Simulator and Drug Dealer Simulator 2 have received multiple negative reviews on Steam, which are now tagged as "Overwhelmingly Negative" and "Mostly Negative" respectively.
Most of the recent reviews they received revolve around Movie Games S.A.’s bullying of the indie developer and their hypocrisy, as there were also previous titles of the same likeness to their game, yet were never called out until Schedule I’s release. This backlash comes despite the series being considered as one of the best criminal management games by different outlets and fans alike.
Schedule I is a new co-op crime simulation game where players start as a small-time dope pusher, working their way up to become a kingpin. It was released for Early Access on PC on March 25 and has since received "Overwhelmingly Positive" reviews on Steam. The game currently sits as Steam’s 2nd top-selling game, beating out popular titles such as inZOI, Monster Hunter Wilds, and fellow indie-developed game R.E.P.O.. According to SteamDB, Schedule I has an all-time peak of 459,075 concurrent players as of writing.
Here at Game8, we thought that Schedule I offered a surprisingly addictive and rewarding experience, and would dub it a "Breaking Bad" simulator. To know more about our thoughts on Schedule I’s early access release, check out our article below!
