Warner Bros. to Return Ownership of Adult Swim Games’ Steam Pages to Developers

Recently, Warner Bros., the owners of the now-defunct Adult Swim Games publishing label, have reached out to developers regarding the return of ownership of their game’s Steam pages. This comes as a surprise after Warner Bros. had previously stated in March that all Adult Swim Games would likely be delisted.

Developers like Landon Podbielski and Owen Deery shared their excitement on X after receiving emails from Warner Bros. Podbielski expressed relief over the news that “Duck Game is safe!!” and that the game’s store pages would be returned to their original owners. Similarly, Deery confirmed that his game, Small Radios Big Television, would not be retired, and ownership and store listings would be returned to him.

Initially, Warner Bros. had informed developers like Matt Kain and Studio Bean that they would not be transferring ownership of the games back to the original studios due to resource constraints. However, the recent change in policy seems to indicate a shift in their approach.

Impact on Developers and Games

Adult Swim Games, founded in 2005, had published a variety of well-known games like Robot Unicorn Attack, Jazzpunk, and Westerado: Double Barreled. While developers retained the IP rights to their games, Adult Swim Games controlled the Steam store pages. The potential delisting of these pages could have erased valuable Steam reviews and affected developers’ visibility within the marketplace.

Transferring ownership of a Steam store page is a relatively straightforward process that can be done with a few clicks. However, in cases where developers are no longer active, some games may not return to Steam at all, posing a risk to their accessibility and discoverability. It remains to be seen how Warner Bros. will navigate these challenges and support developers in reclaiming their games.

The decision by Warner Bros. to return ownership of Adult Swim Games’ Steam pages to developers represents a positive development for the gaming community. By acknowledging the importance of maintaining developers’ control over their creations, Warner Bros. is taking a step in the right direction towards fostering a more collaborative and supportive relationship with independent game developers.