Japanese Indie Developer Quits Game Industry After His 9-Year Project Is Pirated Before Steam Release

A Japanese game developer has announced plans to leave the gaming industry after his most ambitious project, Deserter’s, an adult fantasy strategy game that took nine years to develop, was pirated and illegally distributed overseas before its planned Steam release.

Hide, representative of the independent studio WhiteCute & AlphaNuts, revealed on social media that a cracked version of the game had begun circulating in China. The incident was particularly devastating because the studio had been preparing to officially bring Deserter’s to international audiences.

And piracy wasn’t the only problem: the illegal version had reportedly also been translated and modified by third parties.

Deserter’s Took Nine Years to Complete

Deserter’s originally launched in Japan for PC in March 2026 through DLsite. It’s the latest entry in a tactical simulation game series that began on mobile devices and has already sold more than 200,000 copies in Japan

The project represents nearly a decade of work by Hide and his team. Some of Deserter’s key features include:

• More than 100 hand-drawn illustrations animated with Live2D;
• Over 33 characters the protagonist can pursue romantic relationships with;
• Real-time warfare;
• Political strategy and power struggles;
• Fantasy elements;
• An extensive simulation and management campaign.

Although it’s an adult game featuring erotic scenarios, the title also offers an all-ages version for players who primarily want to experience its campaign and strategic gameplay.

In other words, this isn’t simply an erotic visual novel. The project was built around an ambitious strategy system and even uses a custom game engine developed specifically for the series.

Deserter’s Was Set to Launch Officially on Steam

Things finally seemed to be moving in the right direction in September.

After negotiations with four different companies fell through, Hide revealed that the studio had finally found a publisher interested in bringing Deserter’s to Steam for international audiences.

This was particularly important because the team had been working on localizing the game for other markets, including Chinese-language support.

But shortly afterward, news emerged that would completely change those plans.

Pirated Version Was Translated and Modified

In a post published on October 17, Hide revealed that he had discovered a pirated version of Deserter’s circulating in China.

The game had not only been cracked to bypass its copy protection, but had also received an unofficial translation and modifications to its content.

For the developer, those modifications were particularly troubling.

The incident hit so hard that Hide announced plans to retire from the gaming industry after 26 years.

Looking back on his career, he recalled the early days when freeware and independently distributed software were thriving. He also shared that he had won an award from Digital Famitsu and had the opportunity to create an official sample game for RPG Maker.

Despite his disappointment with how things are ending, the developer said he feels he has seen his journey through to the end.

And honestly, it’s hard not to imagine how devastating this decision must be after spending nine years working on a single project.

Will Deserter’s Still Release on Steam?

For now, the future of Deserter’s on Steam remains uncertain.

Hide intends to fulfill several existing commitments before stepping away from game development for good. These include:

• Delivering an additional content update for Deserter’s;
• Working on the all-ages version for Nintendo Switch;
• Completing projects that had already been promised.

As for the international Steam release, the final decision will be left to the publisher that had been negotiating the launch.

So, at this point, it’s impossible to say that the Steam version has been canceled. However, there’s no guarantee it will still be released.

via Automaon