Loop Hero developer Four Quarters is advising Russian players to pirate their game if they can't purchase it legitimately, a growing problem due to sanctions imposed on Russia due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War.
If you haven't had the chance to play Loop Hero, you've missed out on a fun deckbuilding roguelite game. Players are thrust into a timeloop where they have to defeat a dastardly Lich. It's proven to be a successful formula -- the game has sold a million copies and has had several post-launch updates. Now, the developers are advising Russian fans to pirate their game if they don't have a way to purchase it.
Why Loop Hero Developer Four Quarters is Telling Russian Gamers to Pirate Its Game
As Vice Waypoint reports, Loop Hero developer Four Quarters addressed Russian players in a post on Russian social media site VK. According to that post, Four Quarters is "often asked" how to purchase the game on Steam or Nintendo Switch, but that is becoming increasingly difficult as time goes on.
One of the effects of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War is the imposition of sanctions on Russia by other countries. As a result of these sanctions, companies have had to suspend business in Russia. Valve, for example, has reportedly suspended payments to developers in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. Restrictions on banking mean that customers cannot legally purchase a growing number of products within Russia, either -- including games on Steam and Nintendo Switch.
In short: people in Russia are having a hard time buying Loop Hero legally -- and even if they could, Four Quarters wouldn't be able to get their money anytime soon. They have since decided to go with an innovative solution for the people who want to play their game but can't legally buy it: piracy.
"It is not known when all this will end, therefore, in such difficult times, we can only help everyone to raise the pirate flag (together with vpn) and share the most popular distribution on the rutracker," read a machine translation of Four Quarters' post on VK. Four Quarters' post included a link to a torrent of their game at rutracker, a popular BitTorrent tracker in the country.
That initial VK post was followed up with a subsequent post regarding donations, adding that "there's nothing wrong with torrents." The devs say that "everything is fine with us," asking instead that fans send support to their friends and family.
The second post concluded with Four Quarters' plans for the future of the game. The next update is approximately 80% done and versions for smartphones are in the works. As for PlayStation and Xbox, there are no plans to bring the game to that console at this time. If you haven't yet played this great game yourself, you can buy Loop Hero for PC and Nintendo Switch at the price of $14.99 or your regional equivalent.
