Mediatonic is finest recognized for the colourful battle royale Fall Guys. Lengthy earlier than it was bought by Epic Video games, nonetheless, the UK-based studio created the worldwide HD remaster of the cult-hit relationship sim about pigeons that go to highschool, Hatoful Boyfriend. The sport’s unique creator, manga artist Hato Moa, now says she hasn’t acquired a paycheck for gross sales of the remaster in two years.
“I’ve acquired no royalty fee for Hatoful Boyfriend from Epic since they acquired Mediatonic again in spring 2021,” Moa tweeted final week after Epic Video games introduced over 800 layoffs, with Mediatonic notably hard-hit. “I don’t suppose the gross sales have been zero for 2 years?” She additionally stated she had beforehand reached out to Epic but it surely had by no means responded. The corporate did reply to her tweets, nonetheless, promising to look into the matter.
A spokesperson for the corporate directed Kotaku to that tweet when requested to elaborate on the scenario.
Launched in 2011 on PC, Hatoful Boyfriend sees gamers navigate romantic relationships as a human scholar at a college the place all of their classmates are birds. Branching storylines reveal secrets and techniques concerning the characters, in addition to a horror twist. It rapidly grew to become a cult sensation, getting translated into English by followers. When then-Mediatonic artistic designer Ed Concern performed it, he lobbied the studio to work with Moa on a global remake for a wider launch. Concern was a kind of laid off by Epic final week.
After Mediatonic was acquired by Epic, its remaster was eliminated from iOS, Android, and PlayStation shops, leaving Steam because the final place to purchase the sport. Moa speculated that ongoing gross sales for the sport are in all probability not a lot, though latest consumer critiques which give the sport a score of 97 p.c constructive point out that new gamers are nonetheless shopping for it there.
“Don’t fear, I’m completely positive,” Moa tweeted. “I simply want I had been sturdy and influential sufficient to assist all of [the] good folks from Mediatonic. They’ve been all the time good to me and Hatoful.”
