No Players Online Is Back on Steam After DMCA Takedown

No Players Online returns to Steam after disputed DMCA takedown

Belgian indie studio Beeswax Games has confirmed that No Players Online, the expanded commercial version of their 2019 cult horror-FPS, is officially back on Steam. The full release went live on November 6, 2025, but was pulled from sale less than a week later following a disputed DMCA claim. The new version reimagines the original browser hit as a full-length “haunted abandonware” experience where you boot up a dead capture-the-flag server and slowly uncover what’s hiding behind the empty lobby. It’s exactly the kind of strange, personal indie project that sits alongside dev-written pieces in our Fix Stories series.

No Players Online – DMCA takedown trailer

What happened with the takedown

According to a detailed statement on the game’s official site, No Players Online was removed from Steam for nearly three weeks “right after launch” after a DMCA claim was filed by a former friend, who allegedly asserted co-authorship of the new game. Beeswax Games say the commercial version was made entirely from scratch by their team and that they had already tried to resolve the accusations privately before the claim was submitted to Valve.

“We spent two and a half years of our lives and a ton of money making this game.”

— Adam Pype, Beeswax Games

One of No Players Online’s eerie desktop moments, as the “soul transfer” tool hints that there’s more going on than a simple old game launcher.

On the official statement page, creative lead Adam Pype and the team describe how the removal wiped out crucial early momentum and revenue for the studio. They apologise to players who couldn’t buy the game during the downtime and say they still plan to deliver everything they have in mind for No Players Online, even if the future of the studio itself now feels uncertain. Their ask is simple: if you want to help, buy the game, leave a review on Steam, and share it so it doesn’t quietly vanish a second time.

No Players Online

Release: November 6, 2025
Genre: Horror, FPS
Developer / Publisher: Beeswax Games / Black Lantern Collective
Platforms: PC — Steam

Why this matters

For a small indie team, the first weeks after launch can decide whether a project survives. Under notice-and-takedown systems like the DMCA, a single disputed claim can pull a game from sale during that window and only restore it after a slow counter-notice process. Seeing a weird, ambitious cult horror project like No Players Online almost derailed this way is a reminder of how fragile indie launches really are.

If you’re a developer wrestling with launches, wishlists, or platform policies, you can find more dev-facing guidance on our Fix Access — Developer Services page.