Only Up gets removed from the Steam store over potential “stolen assets”
YouTube: Distortion2After spiking in popularity on Twitch, the simple but frustrating climbing game Only Up! has been removed from Steam.
Sometimes, it’s the simplest games that manage to take over Twitch, and Only Up! is the latest viral craze on the platform.
From IShowSpeed to xQc and even non-Twitch streamers like DrDisRespect, some of the most popular gamers have taken to the latest craze of climbing up a series of random objects until you reach outer space.
Many viewers, who are just learning about the game, will be disappointed to find that it won’t be available for purchase on Steam.
Only Up! removed from Steam for stolen assets
Players who logged into Steam hoping to try Only Up! for the first time were left puzzled as the game no longer appears in the store. But one Redditor cleared up the confusion, showing that the game had been removed from the Steam store that day.
This means that no new purchases of the game can be made, but Steam users who already bought a copy of Only Up! appear to still have access to and can play the game.
According to one user in the comments, “[y]esterday the game was updated to swap out the section with the giant girl was removed and replaced with a statue of Atlas holding the earth. The word at the time is that the giant girl was a stolen asset.”
The user and others went on to speculate that there could be even more stolen assets in the game, which is what led to it’s delisting.
Steam itself has not commented on Only Up! being removed from the store.
The Steamworks Distribution Program prohibits developers from publishing any content on Steam that “you don’t own or have adequate rights to.” So the inclusion of stolen game assets would fall under that clause absent any fair use arguments.
Until this issue is resolved, would-be players will have to settle for watching their favorite streamers play the game.
We will update this space as more information becomes available.
