Steam thought a dev stole their own game and blocked it

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Steam prevented a game developer from publishing a game they created using their own original ideas and assets.

Japanese indie developer Daikichi was getting ready to drop a demo for Wired Tokyo 2007, a climbing action game set above the Tokyo skyline, when Steam stopped them cold. The reason was a dinosaur card game that Daikichi had included as a fun Easter egg in the game’s environment, one that Steam had flagged as belonging to someone else entirely. But as it turns out, that someone else was Daikichi themselves.

Steam blocked this developer’s game for using their own creations

Steam informed Daikichi that the Dinostone assets used in their game’s environment appeared to be from another source and requested proof of ownership. Steam stated the solution was straightforward: a letter from a lawyer confirming Daikichi owned the assets. Without this confirmation, Steam wouldn’t allow the game’s demo to be released.

The problem was Daikichi had first released Dinostone using a pen name, making it difficult to prove ownership. Getting a lawyer to officially confirm this ownership isn’t affordable, especially for a solo game developer on a limited budget. Daikichi explained on X (formerly Twitter), “How can an indie game developer afford that kind of expense?”

They came up with a solution: Daikichi created a document giving them the okay to use their own assets, signed it, and submitted it to Steam for approval. It wasn’t yet clear if this would solve the problem when this was written.

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2026-05-04 18:49