Barely Making Games, a Brazilian indie studio, is rethinking their train simulator, Retro Rail GO!, due to concerns over copyright. The game was gaining popularity, with wishlists jumping from 700 to almost 2,000 during Steam Next Fest. However, criticism about its resemblance to the Densha de GO! series has them considering a halt in development.
Despite the pushback, the studio emphasizes their goal was to honor fans outside Japan and fulfill a niche in train simulations. They plan to replace placeholder AI assets with original artwork, but this situation shows how tricky it can be for indie developers to balance inspiration and originality. What do you think about the line between homage and copyright infringement?