Schedule 1, the indie drug-dealing simulation game making waves on Steam, has achieved a significant milestone indicating its success: a wave of blatant clone games appearing on the PlayStation Store. Although these knock-offs have been removed, the creator of Schedule 1 indicates that a legitimate console version might be feasible once the game progresses further in its development.
“As you might know, several titles have surfaced on the PlayStation Store in recent weeks featuring ‘Schedule I’ in their titles,” the game’s developer, known simply as Tyler, mentioned in a tweet. “I want to clarify that these are in no way associated with me. I’d be excited to port Schedule I to console when the game reaches the appropriate stage to pursue that, but I will inform the Schedule I community in advance before it happens.”
Currently, Schedule 1 is in its early access phase, with an expected duration of “approximately two years,” according to its Steam listing. It’s not uncommon for early access titles to transition to consoles, especially with programs like Xbox’s Game Preview, but generally, console ports are launched alongside a 1.0 release on PC for many indie games in a similar situation. What Tyler plans for Schedule 1 as development continues is still unknown.
Recently, the community has pointed out multiple instances of fake games, all using the Schedule 1 name coupled with subtitles like “Syndicate” or “Dope Empire.” All of these imitations reportedly had not yet been released and have since been removed. Such clones have been appearing sporadically on PSN, similar to a peculiar GTA: Vice City impersonator from last year.
Schedule 1 itself shares certain elements with the long-existing Drug Dealer Simulator titles on Steam, which has led to a “necessary” investigation but no lawsuits from that publisher. However, there is a significant difference between drawing inspiration from a game and outright mimicking it, and it is evident which category these PlayStation Network titles belong to.
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