Sega forces Yakuza: Like a Dragon off of SteamDB over piracy fears
The Steam Database, or SteamDB, is a third-party software that gives all types of details about video games on Steam, from developer data and participant numbers to launch dates and modification instances, replace historical past, and configuration particulars. Just about something you may probably need to learn about a sport that is on Steam, SteamDB can let you know.
Except that sport occurs to be Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which as of very just lately doesn’t have a standard SteamDB web page. As an alternative, there is a message saying, “This web page was taken down as a result of SEGA is claiming we distribute their sport right here (we do not),” and a hyperlink to a sequence of tweets that explains the state of affairs in additional element.
“Can anybody assist getting in contact with Sega? Their attorneys are attempting to take down Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s SteamDB web page claiming that we distribute the sport. I took the web page down as a result of they didn’t reply to the primary abuse report and despatched a brand new one to our hoster,” SteamDB creator Pavel Djundik wrote.
“SteamDB doesn’t assist piracy, it doesn’t present downloads, it doesn’t promote keys, it doesn’t hyperlink to any web sites that do any of those actions.”
SteamDB’s FAQ web page emphasizes the identical factor, noting that it “solely embeds Steam’s official widget for buying the sport. We hyperlink to the official Steam retailer the place potential. All picture property are instantly linked from the Steam content material supply community.”
SteamDB doesn’t assist piracy, it doesn’t present downloads, it doesn’t promote keys, it doesn’t hyperlink to any web sites that do any of those actions. https://t.co/Cv33ml7AnmMarch 29, 2021
Djundik mentioned that this is not the primary time one thing like this has occurred, however in earlier circumstances they have been retracted after SteamDB has contacted the sender. On this state of affairs, it hasn’t been in a position to take action.
“They initially despatched a takedown discover (which was simply the URL in query and the sentence “Unique Work: Sega creates copyrighted software program and sport packages which might be discovered at https://sega.com/video games.”) to CloudFlare on March 12 that acquired forwarded to us by the host on the nineteenth,” he advised me.
“We replied to the e-mail handle that despatched it to Cloudflare asking for clarification (as a result of that may be a very generic sentence) and defined that SteamDB would not truly promote or present any sport downloads. Apparently they ignored mentioned e-mail as a result of in the present day we acquired an extended and extra severe DMCA discover that went out to our host instantly.”
Sadly, till Djundik or SteamDB co-creator Martin Benjamins could make contact with Sega, Yakuza: Like a Dragon goes to stay absent from the location. “Except for attempting to get in touch with somebody at Sega, we’re not ready to do something. We’re a passion challenge run by 2 individuals of their spare time and have no sources/power/time to combat and even argue about this,” he mentioned.
The excellent news is that the Yakuza: Like a Dragon takedown is not probably a harbinger for greater issues down the highway, like extra (or extra sweeping) takedown requests from publishers: “From my earlier expertise with dmcas, it nearly at all times boils all the way down to model safety simply firing off dmcas at anybody with out even trying on the web site,” Djundik mentioned.
Considerably mockingly, earlier in the present day Sega was named Metacritic’s top-ranked writer of 2020, on the energy of video games together with Persona 4 Golden, Soccer Supervisor 2021, and—you guessed it—Yakuza: Like a Dragon (83). A Sega rep mentioned the corporate’s authorized staff is now trying into the state of affairs.
