Conradical Games, the developer behind PC and Nintendo Switch platformerThe Outbound Ghost, has served its publisher, Digerati, with a copyright strike. This is the latest development in an ongoing legal battle over accusations of gameplay inPaper Mario-inspiredThe Outbound Ghost’s Nintendo Switch version failing to meet Conradical Games standards of quality.
The Outbound Ghosthad a dedicated following from its inception - the game’s Kickstarter was over 50% funded one day after its launch. The game released on Steam in September 2022, with PlayStation 4 and 5 releases following in November, and a Nintendo Switch release that December. However,trouble was soon to followThe Outbound Ghost’s anticipated debut - by December 12, Conradical Games' lead developer, Conrad Grindheim, updatedThe Outbound Ghost’s Steam page and released an accompanying statement regarding Conradical Games' “dissolved” relationship with publisher Digerati.The Outbound Ghostwas available for sale again on Steam on December 14 - but the most recent turn of events in the burgeoning legal battle may explain the game no longer being listed on Steam as of today.
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In a move often triggered by larger developers like Bungiefor popular games likeDestiny, Conrad Grindheim, the main developer behind Conradical Games, announced his decision to serve Digerati a copyright strike under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. In addition to quality issues withThe Outbound Ghost’s Nintendo Switch port, Grindheim also names a lawsuit against Conradical Games from Digerati as factors feeding into him serving the copyright strike. Digerati’s lawsuit claims Conradical Games breached its licensing agreement overThe Outbound Ghost, an accusation explicitly denied by Grindheim.
In the video, titled “I DMCA’d My Own Indie Game,” Grindheim further alleges that Digerati has failed to distribute agreed-upon payments reflectingThe Outbound Ghost’s sales. In fact, Grindheim mentions believing Digerati is intentionally underreportingThe Outbound Ghost’s revenues to justify little to no residuals being paid to Conradical Games. As of right now, Digerati, who has published otherindie games likeSevered Steel, has not commented publicly on the recent wave of declarations.
Digerati’s first response toThe Outbound Ghostdrama, days before it was first delisted from Steam last December, was to develop a patch forThe Outbound Ghost’s reported gameplay hiccups. The next day, however, Digerati CEO Sarah Alfieri released a statement claiming that Conrad had not only “unlawfully tampered” withThe Outbound Ghost’s Steam page, but “[used] the sudden and tragic death” of her husband, former Digerati CEO Nicholas Alfieri, “as grounds for termination” of their licensing agreement.
Conradical Games and Digerati are certainly not alone in their clash over appropriate use of their game’s intellectual property. Nintendo is famously strict on the manipulation of its copyrighted intellectual properties, even for informational purposes - like striking down a video educating fans on a titleentry inThe Legend of Zeldathat didn’t make itto shelves. Rising Twitch streamers have also made statements protesting DMCA strikedowns they feel are harsh. As legal battles overThe Outbound Ghostforge forward, indie game developers and publishers are likely to pay attention to the outcome.
The Outbound Ghostis now available for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
