Overview
- The Drug Dealer Simulator franchise has recently received a surge of negative reviews on Steam, largely linked to a copyright dispute involving Schedule 1.
- Despite maintaining a generally positive rating, the original title’s feedback is increasingly turning sour.
- Players are accusing Movie Games S.A. of oppressive tactics against the independent developer, prompting significant community backlash.
The Drug Dealer Simulator series is encountering a wave of unfavorable reviews on Steam due to a copyright investigation initiated by Movie Games S.A. against the indie title Schedule 1. This scrutiny and the surrounding controversy have led to a notable decline in the user ratings for both games in the series.
Launched in 2020 and 2024 respectively, Drug Dealer Simulator and its sequel, Drug Dealer Simulator 2, were developed by Byterunners and published by Movie Games S.A.. While the original game has received a considerable number of positive reviews over its lifetime, its ratings are starting to suffer amidst the rising negative feedback. In contrast, Schedule 1, which debuted on March 24, has enjoyed immense popularity, boasting over 318,000 peak daily concurrent players within its first week.
Recently, however, both installments of the Drug Dealer Simulator series have been subjected to a torrent of negative reviews on their Steam pages. This trend appears closely linked to the recent announcement of a copyright infringement investigation by Movie Games S.A., employing a legal consultant to pursue actions against the creators of Schedule 1. The original game’s substantial tally of over 18,000 reviews still leaves it with a commendable “Very Positive”overall rating (85 percent approval), yet a troubling 76 percent of the 575 reviews captured in the past month are negative. The sequel is suffering even more severely, with more than 10 percent of its total score now stemming from 557 predominantly negative reviews during the same period, relegating it to a “Mixed”status.
Review Bombing: Impact on Drug Dealer Simulator Series
Analysis of recent user reviews for the Drug Dealer Simulator titles indicates a growing disdain from supporters of Schedule 1. Many fans have leveled accusations of “bullying”against Movie Games S.A., criticizing the company for targeting a solo developer who has achieved considerable success with a game that shares a similar concept. As one review aptly puts it, “Going after an indie dev for releasing a more successful game with a similar idea is absolutely criminal.”Additionally, many players have highlighted perceived inconsistencies by Movie Games S.A., enumerating other similar titles that were launched prior to Drug Dealer Simulator.
Furthermore, fans are drawing parallels between the controversy surrounding Movie Games S.A.’s actions and Nintendo’s historical legal pursuits against the developers of Palworld. This has drawn criticism toward Nintendo for its aggressive stance on copyright claims. Remarkably, the initial lawsuit was initiated in September 2024, alleging multiple copyright infringements associated with the Pokémon brand. While that case is still ongoing, additional lawsuits targeting Palworld have emerged since then, reflecting a broader trend of tension between large publishers and independent developers.