Dark & Darker Mobile could be getting a name change from Krafton

Krafton Ends Deal with Ironmace, Dark and Darker Mobile to Get a New Name

The mobile version of the popular dungeon crawler, Dark and Darker, is facing a significant shift. Krafton, the game's publisher, has announced it's terminating its agreement with developer Ironmace Studio and changing the game's name. While Krafton claims this decision is unrelated to Ironmace's recent $6 million court loss to Nexon, the timing is undeniably suspicious.

The Nexon lawsuit alleges that Ironmace, founded by former Nexon employees, misappropriated trade secrets from a canceled Nexon project (codenamed P3) to develop Dark and Darker. Ironmace countersued Nexon for copyright infringement.

Despite Krafton's assertions, the termination of their licensing agreement effectively makes the mobile release a completely independent project. This means Dark and Darker Mobile (or its successor) will launch under a new name and without Ironmace's direct involvement. The irony isn't lost on observers: Ironmace initially sued for copyright infringement, and now Krafton appears poised to essentially continue development under a different banner.

A Genre-Defining Moment?

This legal battle and subsequent partnership dissolution could significantly impact the hack 'n slash extraction dungeon crawler genre. Regardless of the outcome of the Nexon lawsuit, the precedent set by Krafton's actions might open the floodgates for similar releases.

For players anticipating Dark and Darker Mobile, the news isn't entirely negative. Krafton intends to proceed with the global launch as planned, although this remains subject to change. We will provide updates should any further developments occur.

The hope is that the final product retains the high quality we observed in our previous review.