Schedule I Case Defendant Hit by Review Bombing

Schedule I faces a copyright infringement claim, but the accuser's own games are being hit with a wave of negative fan reviews. This article explains the accusation and details Schedule I's upcoming content update.

Schedule I: Latest News

Developer Accusing Schedule I of Copyright Infringement Gets Review-Bombed on Steam

Indie drug-pushing simulation game Schedule I is confronting a copyright infringement allegation from Movie Games S.A., the studio behind The Drug Dealer Simulator series. As reported by the Polish Press Agency on April 3, Movie Games S.A. completed a legal review, concluding that Schedule I may have infringed upon their intellectual property rights. Their investigation suggests Schedule I copied narrative elements, game mechanics, and even the user interface.

Although no official legal action has been announced, the gaming community has already chosen sides, with Schedule I appearing to have stronger support. Both The Drug Dealer Simulator and its sequel have been flooded with negative Steam reviews, resulting in recent review scores of "Overwhelmingly Negative" and "Mostly Negative," respectively.

Many of the recent negative reviews criticize Movie Games S.A. for supposedly bullying a small indie developer and accuse the company of hypocrisy. Commenters point out that other games with similar themes were released previously without any legal challenges, making the action against Schedule I seem targeted. This backlash is notable given the series' previous reputation as a top-tier criminal management simulator among both critics and players.

Schedule I is a cooperative crime sim where players begin as low-level street dealers and build a criminal empire. Since its Early Access launch on PC on March 25, the game has earned an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam. It currently ranks as the 2nd best-selling title on the platform, outperforming major games like inZOI, Monster Hunter Wilds, and the fellow indie title R.E.P.O. According to SteamDB, Schedule I reached an all-time peak of 459,075 concurrent players.

Here at Game8, we found Schedule I to be an unexpectedly compelling and satisfying experience, essentially a "Breaking Bad" simulator. For a deeper look at our initial impressions from the Early Access release, check out our full review article below.