Ironmace Faces $5.8 Million Penalty for Alleged Intellectual Property Violation Involving Nexon
The ongoing legal battle between Ironmace and Nexon concerning the esteemed’s launch title, Unlit and Darker, has reached a conclusion—even though the verdict is far from a clear-cut win for either party.
The two companies exchanged significant blows after Nexon initiated a lawsuit against Ironmace in 2021, claiming that the studio developed Unlit and Darker using proprietary code and data from an in-development project codenamed ‘Project P3.’
Nexon alleged that the information was deliberately disclosed by a former employee named Ju-Hyun Choi, who subsequently joined Ironmace, and accused the studio of copyright breach and misappropriation of trade secrets.
Now, according to documents translated by ChosunBiz, the Seoul Central District Court (Division 63) determined that Unlit and Darker did not violate Nexon’s copyright concerning Project P3, dated June 30, 2021.
Nevertheless, Ironmace was found to have committed trade secret misappropriation and has been ordered to pay 8.5 billion won ($5.87 million) in damages to Nexon.
The studio is required to pay an initial sum of 1 billion won to Nexon in March 2025, followed by the remainder during the summer.
This ruling concludes a lengthy legal struggle that has intensified in recent years. In 2023, prior to its Early Access launch, Unlit and Darker was removed from distribution after Nexon issued a cease-and-desist order, which Ironmace countered by encouraging players to torrent the discontinued game’s public testing versions until it was made available again.
Months later, Ironmace secured a new publisher in Chaf Games. The game returned to Steam in June 2024, where it currently holds a “mostly positive” review rating.
This dispute also unfolded in the United States. In August 2023, Nexon filed a separate copyright claim in the U.S. that was ultimately dismissed by a Seattle court after Judge Tana Lin determined it would be better suited for the South Korean judicial system.
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Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com
A native of Kansas City, MO, Justin Carter has contributed to many websites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his work can also be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don’t inquire about how much gum he has chewed, as the answer might be more than he is willing to disclose.