Scarface PC re-release "unintentionally pushed live" early on Epic with Steam to follow, but I may smell a rat

UPDATE: EC Digital accidental they're moving to temporarily fell Steam listing amid "urgent discussions" astir the project

Update: In a follow-up Steam post, EC Digital person revealed they're moving with Valve to person their Scarface re-release's Steam leafage hidden successful the abbreviated term, amid "urgent discussions with aggregate parties concerning the project’s status". Their station continues arsenic follows:

After cautious consideration, we judge that temporarily hiding the store leafage is the astir due measurement forward, and we’ve already begun coordinating with Valve to marque that hap shortly. The existent leafage was initially intended arsenic a placeholder portion we worked done ongoing licensing and method matters. Unfortunately, the unintended merchandise of definite builds connected different platforms caused unexpected complications and concerns. Because of that, we consciousness it’s indispensable to intermission and reevaluate.

We privation to apologize to the assemblage for the disorder and interest this concern whitethorn person caused. If things alteration and we’re capable to bring the crippled backmost successful the future, we’ll fto you cognize close away. This was wholly our responsibility. We besides kindly inquire that nary 1 harass oregon stock the idiosyncratic accusation of anyone involved. Some of our partners moving connected wholly abstracted projects person already been negatively impacted, and we profoundly regret putting them successful that position.

Original communicative continues below:

Maybe hole to excavation retired your finest gaudy suit and mountains of, er, a definite substance. A PC re-release of Radical Entertainment's Scarface: The World Is Yours has abruptly popped up connected the Epic Store and Steam. The Epic mentation is disposable already, having been "unintentionally pushed live" aboriginal owed to backend issues, according to caller publishers EC Digital Entertainment.

Listings for the 2006 GTA-like were rapidly spotted connected some storefronts, with the Epic mentation connected merchantability for £23.79 / $29.99, portion the Steam listing says a merchandise date's to beryllium announced down the line. The institution who look to beryllium down the resurrection, EC Digital Entertainment, person offered an mentation for this discrepancy successful a Steam announcement.

"Due to a method contented during backend configuration, the crippled was unintentionally pushed unrecorded connected a antithetic level earlier than planned," the publishers wrote. "We privation to clarify that our intended semipermanent merchandise level includes Steam, and we're present accelerating our efforts to finalize this version. As such, you whitethorn announcement that the existent Steam leafage includes placeholder content. This volition beryllium updated starring up to the authoritative release."

"When the crippled officially launches connected Steam, it volition see an optional HD graphics upgrade, offered arsenic a escaped DLC," EC Digital continued, adding a disclaimer that the graphical upgrade whitethorn beryllium "subject to change". As for what it entails, they explained: "This enhanced mode uses AI-assisted techniques to amended definite ocular elements portion keeping the halfway acquisition intact. The usage of AI is wholly optional. Players tin take to play successful archetypal oregon enhanced visuals astatine immoderate time."

Now, this is wherever things get a spot strange. My efforts to look into who EC Digital Entertainment are person borne precise small fruit. Gematsu's study connected the re-release cites them arsenic a Hong Kong-based publisher, but pursuing the nexus done to its info/category leafage connected the tract lone sees you greeted with the Scarface story, a nexus to a website that's pinging up an entree artifact notification for me, and a YouTube transmission with 3 subscribers which has a sole video uploaded successful 2009.

It's a 20 2nd trailer for seemingly defunct prehistoric RPG Stone Age 2, with the statement linking a website for it that doesn't look to beryllium anymore. A speedy Google hunt of their sanction hasn't instantly turned up immoderate different info astir the publishers and their Steam illustration doesn't database immoderate different games they've published.

One idiosyncratic successful a Reddit thread astir the re-release has claimed that the caller Epic mentation of Scarface: The World Is Yours comes with the SilentPatch and Fusion Fix mods pre-installed. Sadly, according to 1 of the modders down the two, who goes by the grip Silent, if this is the lawsuit it's happened without permission. "None of america were contacted astir this successful beforehand (which isn't indispensable arsenic per the license, but would beryllium nice)," they wrote. "I KNOW that the holder of the Scarface licence wasn't consenting to re-release the game, truthful this is suspect. I'm going to inquire for further accusation to the champion of my abilities, but truthful acold I uncertainty that merchandise was cleared with Universal."

So yeah, that's wherefore I was hesitant to promote the digging retired of Al Pacino outfits earlier. There's a accidental EC Digital Entertainment person done a due woody for the game's rights, but if this re-release is of the unapproved oregon dodgy variety, likelihood are a takedown could beryllium incoming.