Recently, publishers Strategy First and BillionTech released You Are Empty: Absolute Edition on PC via Steam and ZOOM Platform — a remaster of the shooter whose original version was released in 2006.
Soon after, Denis Volchenko appeared on the remaster's Steam forum. He identified himself as one of the original's co-creators and began claiming that he holds the copyright to the game's visual assets and artwork. He stated that You Are Empty: Absolute Edition should be distributed for free and that Strategy First and BillionTech actually had no rights for a commercial release.
At the time, representatives of the publishers stated that Volchenko's claim about submitting a complaint was a lie and that he held no rights to the game. However, Valve soon removed You Are Empty: Absolute Edition from Steam — not merely halting sales, but completely taking down the store page (leaving only the community hub).
Now, a representative of the development team behind the You Are Empty: Absolute Edition remaster explained on the game's Steam forum that Denis did indeed file a “false DMCA claim” (alleging copyright infringement). However, they have already submitted genuine documentation and are currently working to bring the game back for sale:
Unfortunately, following a prolonged campaign of harassment and intimidation attempts, Denis Volchenko, the art director of the original You Are Empty, filed a false DMCA notice that caused You Are Empty: Absolute Edition to be delisted. The contracts and rights for the game are properly secured; the game will return to the platform. We are disappointed that Mr. Volchenko chose to take this route after harassing staff members on social media over the weekend. We are proud of the work done on You Are Empty: Absolute Edition and look forward to the game returning to Steam. Video game preservation is important to us.