A new official launcher has put Myth of Empires back on sale. The controversial multiplayer sandbox battler was subject to a DMCA claim from Ark: Survival Evolved devs Studio Wildcard, removing it from sale on Valve's platform, but now it'll soon be available to buy via the official Myth of Empires website.
How is Myth of Empires back on sale?
In December last year, Studio Wildcard filed a DMCA claim against Myth of Empires on Steam. The Ark: Survival Evolved devs alleged that Myth's source code was stolen from their game, thus leading to Myth of Empires no longer being available on Steam. This wasn't the kind of source code theft perpetrated by hackers, either; the Ark devs alleged that Myth of Empires actually contains and runs on the stolen code. Now, however, a new post on the official Myth of Empires website confirms that a proprietary launcher is set to...well...launch today (or tomorrow, depending on your time zone). Initially, limited quantities of keys will be sold while Angela works out kinks in the launcher. Eventually, though, the game will be available for everyone via this new launcher.
The new launcher will arrive at 7pm PST today, which works out as 10pm EST. With that in mind, you're not going to get a chance to buy Myth of Empires until the wee small hours of the morning if you're in Europe. While the game's new launcher is in the testing phase, Angela Game will release an extra 250 keys at 7am and 7pm PST each day. It'll set you back $29.99, but Angela says it's offering a "limited-time" $5 discount. The studio doesn't clarify how long that discount is active for, though. This price is consistent across regions and matches the Steam price, which can't be different on other platforms according to Valve's terms and conditions.
What does Angela say about the Myth of Empires source code allegations?
For its part, Angela Games staunchly denies that it stole source code from Ark: Survival Evolved for Myth of Empires. The studio has filed a counter-suit against Studio Wildcard, alleging that the Ark developer's statements to Steam were "knowingly false" and calculated to remove Myth of Empires from Steam. Angela says it wants a preliminary injunction to restore Myth of Empires to Steam as soon as possible, with this case due to be heard later this month. The Steam servers for the game are still operational, and the new launcher's version of the game will work just fine with the Steam servers.
We'll have to wait and see how the legal cases involving Myth of Empires and Ark: Survival Evolved pan out, and whether they conclude with the game being available on Steam once again. Until then, you'll be able to try and get codes for Myth of Empires later today, when the launcher arrives. After launching a closed beta in late 2021, Myth of Empires is still technically in its early access period, so buyer beware. We'll bring you more on this, including when the launcher...erm...launches in full, as soon as we get it.
Will you be checking out Myth of Empires via its offiical launcher? Let us know in the comments below!
