As many have highlighted in the subreddit, keeping the servers running would still cost the devs money if the game was on Steam. However, the big difference is that it would be much easier to monetise, particularly through early access and pre-orders.
Right now, there;s no way to pre-order the game, and it;s not clear how Ironmace plans to distribute it at the end of the year, which is when it;s planning the full launch. Of course, the devs are likely hoping to have cleared its legal woes by then.
As we covered earlier today, Ironmace now has legal representation, and has issued a statement that calls on Valve to put Dark and Darker back on Steam. It calls Nexon;s claim that Dark And Darker Gold for sale was made with stolen ideas and assets quot;entirely without meritquot and counterclaims that Nexon had no intention of releasing the game it had allegedly stolen from, codenamed P3.
However, with Nexon now extending its legal efforts into the United States, it seems that the spat is far from over. So far, Valve has shown no signs of budging from its decision either, so the future of Dark and Darker remains uncertain.
Dark and Darker developer Ironmace has responded to Nexon;s lawsuit, saying it is quot;entirely without meritquot;, and accusing the publisher of being a quot;bully.quot; Ironmace has also lodged a counterclaim to Valve, calling on the company to allow Dark and Darker on Steam again after it was taken down last month.