Hatoful Boyfriend dev accuses Epic of unpaid royalties
The original developer of Hatoful Boyfriend has accused Epic Games of not paying royalties on the game for the past two years.
In the wake of layoffs at Epic that impacted the studio behind the Hatoful Boyfriend HD remake Mediatonic, developer Hato Moa posted condolences on social media for "the lovely, talented people" from the studio, adding that Epic has not paid royalties on the game since it acquired Mediatonic in 2021.
The day after Moa went public, Epic Games Publishing responded to say, "We are looking into this and the team will be reaching out to you directly."
Hatoful Boyfriend originally released in Japan in 2011, but Mediatonic and Devolver Digital remade it for an international audience in 2014, and brought it to mobile and PlayStation platforms as well.
Moa said those versions of the games had to be pulled from storefronts after Epic acquired Mediatonic in 2021, though it remains available on Steam, where it is published by Epic Games.
Moa said it wouldn't be worth filing suit over the missing royalties as the money in question wouldn't justify the cost or effort of legal action.
"Don't worry, I'm totally fine," Moa added. "I just wish I had been strong and influential enough to support all of nice people from Mediatonic. They've been always nice to me and Hatoful."
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