Helldivers 2 and Palworld teams call out "sad and frustrating" Steam copycats after fakes hit Valve's storefront overnight

gamesradar.com:

Arrowhead Studios, the developer behind co-op hit Helldivers 2, has warned players about "fake" versions of the game and other popular titles after a wave of illegitimate copies hit Steam overnight. 

"There are, unfortunately, two (three now?!) fake games being marketed as Helldivers 2 on Steam at the moment," the studio explains in a recent Discord message. "THESE ARE FAKE. They are not made by Arrowhead, but they claim to be. We do not know what they contain, but they are not affiliated with us in any way. Our legal department is on it and we hope Valve will remove the products as soon as possible."

Arrowhead's legal team seems to have worked its magic quickly because at least two of these fake versions have been delisted from the digital storefront, according to Steam Database. How did such an obvious forgery get through Steam's checkpoints? Indie games Figularity and Do Not Smile both changed their names to Helldivers 2, replaced screenshots with Helldivers captures, and then listed the developer and publisher as Arrowhead Game Studios and PlayStation LLC respectively. (Good spot, VG247.)

"The only two genuine copies are Helldivers 2 and Helldivers 2: Super Citizen Edition," the Discord note continues. The studio reiterates that the best way to spot a fake is to check the release date - Helldivers 2 officially came out on February 8, 2024. "People posting as us trying to scam people is obviously very sad and frustrating, and for that, as well as for security reasons, we urge you to stay clear of them."

One Reddit post highlights that copycats targeted other popular games, too, including survival hit Palworld, action hack-and-slasher Last Epoch, and extraction shooter Escape From Tarkov. Palworld's community manager called the overnight trend "quite concerning," but clarified that Steam removed the false copy "immediately after we contacted them."

Helldivers 2 players reckon they've found playable mechs and AI reinforcements in the game's files.