Copyright Accuser Hit by Review Bombing

Schedule I faces copyright infringement allegations, but in a surprising turn, the accuser's own games are being targeted by a fan-led review bombing campaign. Continue reading for details on the infringement claims and what to expect from Schedule I's future updates.

Latest News on Schedule I

Steam Users Review Bomb the Company Accusing Schedule I of Copyright Infringement

The indie game Schedule I, a drug trafficking simulator, is at the center of a copyright dispute with Movie Games S.A., the studio behind The Drug Dealer Simulator series. According to a report from the Polish Press Agency on April 3, Movie Games S.A. completed a legal review and determined that Schedule I may have infringed upon their intellectual property rights for The Drug Dealer Simulator. Their findings suggest similarities in the storyline, game mechanics, and even the user interface.

Although no official legal action has been taken, the gaming community has quickly taken sides, with apparent majority support leaning towards Schedule I. This has resulted in a wave of negative user reviews for both The Drug Dealer Simulator and its sequel on Steam, which now carry "Overwhelmingly Negative" and "Mostly Negative" recent review ratings, respectively.

Many of the critical reviews accuse Movie Games S.A. of bullying a smaller indie developer and highlight perceived hypocrisy, noting that other games with similar concepts were not pursued legally until Schedule I's successful launch. This backlash is notable given the series' previous reputation as a well-regarded entry in the criminal management genre among critics and players.

Schedule I is a cooperative crime sim where players begin as low-level drug dealers and strive to build a criminal empire. It entered PC Early Access on March 25 and has since garnered an "Overwhelmingly Positive" reception on Steam. Currently ranked as the 2nd top-selling title on the platform, it has outperformed major games like inZOI, Monster Hunter Wilds, and the indie title R.E.P.O. SteamDB data indicates Schedule I reached an impressive all-time peak of 459,075 concurrent players.

At Game8, we found Schedule I to deliver a compelling and habit-forming gameplay loop, effectively serving as a "Breaking Bad" simulator. For our full analysis of the Early Access version, see our detailed review below.