GSC Game World removes Misery game from Steam for suspected plagiarism of Stalker 2

The Ukrainian studio GSC Game World, responsible for Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, filed a DMCA action for copyright infringement against the game Misery, resulting in the removal of the title from Steam by Valve. The controversy is a critical point that raises the debate about the originality of independent creations and the protection of established Intellectual Properties (IPs).

The Misery, released on October 23 by the sole creator known as Maewing, was marketed as a co-op horror and survival shooter. In a statement, the developer claimed to be a target of "injustice" and denied any direct relationship with Stalker 2 or the use of franchise elements. He stated that the game "is a completely different concept, set in the fictional Republic of Zaslavie", without using any "characters, story, code, or assets" from the GSC series. The Maewing also accused the studio of abusing power against an independent creator.

However, Valve included in the notice comparative images sent by GSC, which show similarities between scenarios — such as abandoned industrial areas and characters gathered around a bonfire wearing gas masks — which strengthens the suspicion of reusing assets or visual elements. Additionally, users on Reddit started to point out possible evidence that the game may have indeed reused assets from Stalker 2.

The controversy has spread to social networks. While the creator of Misery publicly asked players not to attack GSC or associate comments with the war between Russia and Ukraine, a speech full of insults and offensive terms was recorded in a private channel on Discord. The developer later issued an apology, claiming that the messages were old and "immature", and that he does not support extremism or discrimination.

The creator of Misery expressed confidence in the return of the game to Steam. As the controversy unfolds, GSC remains focused on planned updates for Stalker 2 throughout 2025, including improvements to the A-Life system and performance adjustments in Unreal Engine 5.

GSC Game World removed the game Misery from Steam with a DMCA action, alleging copyright infringement of Stalker 2. The creator Maewing denies plagiarism, but Valve highlighted visual similarities provided by GSC. The developer sparked controversy with insults in a private channel on Discord, although he apologized, claiming injustice. GSC continues to focus on updates for Stalker 2 in 2025 (A-Life, Unreal Engine 5).