Recently, some Steam users raised the alarm. Screenshots of letters allegedly received by some developers began circulating online.
A mysterious buyer (or group) is trying to acquire niche projects that "didn't take off" on Steam. For example, such an appeal was sent to the creators of Heroes of the Seven Islands, which had a peak online of 27 players:
We are interested in acquiring the rights to your game on Steam - Heroes of the Seven Islands. We are looking for games that have performed poorly on Steam; ones for which you would like to recoup at least some of your investment. We can offer you a payment of at least $100 immediately for transferring the rights to your game (or games) to us. Our goal is to build a larger catalog and take on the risks of promoting such projects. If you are interested, please reply to this email.
Players assume this is preparation for a campaign to attack the PC community. It is suggested that hackers are currently buying up games, who will then release updates with viruses for the purchased games and start promoting these projects. Previously, there have been incidents on Steam where "surprises" were found in the files of niche games.
Read more on the topic:
- Scandal with viruses in games from Steam reached the FBI - investigation launched
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- Teaser for Baldur's Gate 3 Fan Campaign - Path to Menzoberranzan Creators Prepare Demo