The Sinking City developer is asking players not to buy the game on Steam

The Sinking City developer Frogwares is asking players not to buy the Steam version of the horror title.

This isn't some paradoxical marketing tactic, though. The Sinking City was pulled from sale in 2020 due to a rights dispute between Frogwares and publisher Nacon, and despite returning to storefronts earlier this year, the developer is now asking fans to give its Lovecraftian jaunt a miss. 

"Frogwares has not created this version of The Sinking City that is today on sale on Steam," reads a tweet from the studio, spotted by Vice. "We do not recommend the purchase of this version. More news soon."

(Update: Frogwares has made true on its promise for more information. A 9 minute long video shared by the developer today accuses Nacon of pirating The Sinking City and cracking the game in order to upload it to Steam without the developer's involvement. Details here.)

The tweet seemingly appeared on the Steam page for The Sinking City because Frogwares' official Twitter account was still tied to the 'news' section. 

It appears the version of The Sinking City currently being sold on Steam -- with a 60 percent discount -- is outdated, and lacks features like achievements and cloud saves.

The post has been removed from the page in the days since, but not before it caught the attention of players, many of whom have been leaving 'not recommended' user reviews that reference the tweet.

"Just refunded this game so a shady publisher does not get the money the developers deserve," reads one review, posted on February 28. "Do not give the publishers your business," adds another left on the same date.