Bottom line: It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to draw parallels between The Store is Closed and another famous furniture store chain. That store's lawyers also saw some similarities and reached out to the creator with their concerns.
It's Halloween and one indie game developer has already received quite a scare.
UK developer Jacob Shaw recently wrapped up a successful Kickstarter campaign for The Store is Closed, a survival game in which you are trapped in a massive furniture store - either alone or with friends - and must find a way out. You'll want to avoid the staff, especially at night when their aggression ramps up, and steer clear of managers at all cost.
Everything in the store is destructible. Furniture can be rearranged to erect bases or broken down into raw materials and used to craft weapons. Good thing there are on-site cafeterias because you will need sustenance to keep your strength up.
As you progress, you'll build more elaborate fortresses. Don't forget to look up, as there are "strange departments" situated high above the showroom floor that can only be accessed by constructing tall towers. There's also a mysterious organization called the SCP Foundation that is investigating the store. If you can break into their labs, perhaps you can learn more about what's really going on and find a way out.
In a letter viewed by Kotaku, Ikea's lawyers said their client has learned Shaw is developing a game that uses indicia associated with the popular furniture chain.
"Your game uses a blue and yellow sign with a Scandinavian name on the store, a blue box-like building, yellow vertical stiped shirts identical to those worn by Ikea personnel, a gray path on the floor, furniture that looks like Ikea furniture, and product signage that looks like Ikea signage. All the foregoing immediately suggest that the game takes place in an Ikea store."
When contacted for comment by Polygon, Ikea issued the following statement.
While we think it's flattering that others are inspired by the Ikea brand, we must be diligent to ensure that the Ikea trademarks and trade dress are not misapplied. Various elements of the video game currently correspond in appearance with the Ikea brand features. We've reached out to the creator of the video and asked them to make changes to those elements to ensure that this is no longer the case. They expressed that they understand our request and agreed to make those changes. This should all be well in time for the expected 2024 launch of the game.
We wish the creator of the game the best of luck!
The Store is Closed has managed to raise more than $61,000 in funding from 1,350 backers as of this writing with three days remaining. The initial goal was just $11,605. A pledge of around $20 (£17, to be exact) will secure you a key for a full copy of the game on Xbox Series, PlayStation 5 or PC. It is expected to ship into PC early access in the third quarter of 2024.