Warner Bros Reverses Decision to Remove Indie Game: A Win for Independent Developers

An independent game developer reported that Warner Bros has reversed its decision to remove his game from online stores, stating: "Ownership and store listings will revert to me." This turn of events suggests a positive outcome for indie developers who were facing the removal of their games by Warner Bros., as one developer announced the retrieval of his game's store presence.

The Warner Bros. subsidiary Adult Swim Games, which had taken on the role of publishing various independent games, including Owen Deery's Small Radios Big Televisions, was in the spotlight back in March. Deery disclosed that Warner Bros intended to withdraw his game from digital shops, a fate shared by other creators of Adult Swim-published titles.

The dilemma for these creators was the option to republish their games at the cost of negating all prior marketing efforts to gain traction on platforms such as Steam, known for their volatile recommendation algorithms. In response, Deery opted to offer his game for free.

After more than two months, Deery has shared an upbeat update on Twitter, stating, "Game will stay available," with the added news that he will regain control over the game's store listings and ownership. While there's yet to be news if other developers will experience similar outcomes, the hope is that this won't be an isolated incident. Adult Swim Games has a portfolio filled with noteworthy titles that could be affected.

Game Developer magazine has noted that developers began receiving notices about these game withdrawals on March 5, with a 60-day notice period before action. Now, 65 days later, it seems all targeted games are still available on their platforms, leaving the gaming community hopeful for a stable future.