Scarface videogame re-release hasn’t gone exactly according to plan

A Hong Kong-based publisher named EC Digital Entertainment has spectacularly fumbled the planned PC re-release of the 2006 cult classic Scarface: The World Is Yours. The whole mess kicked off when the game suddenly materialised for sale on the Epic Games Store this past Wednesday.

But as a statement released by EC Digital on Steam later revealed, this was not the plan. It explained that a “technical issue during backend configuration” caused the game to go live “unintentionally” on a “different platform.”

A mysterious publisher accidentally released the game with fan mods

Things got worse from there. Players who managed to download the EGS version found it included popular fan-made patches SilentPatch and Fusion Fix. The mod’s creator Silent confirmed on social media that nobody from the publisher had reached out.

While Silent acknowledged the mod’s licence might not legally require permission they noted it “would be nice” to be asked.

This chaotic launch was already looking strange. The publisher had noted on Steam that its version would use “AI-assisted techniques to improve certain visual elements” though this feature would be “completely optional.”

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The fallout from the accidental release and mod-related drama was swift. EC Digital posted a lengthy apology on the Steam discussion forums. The publisher claims it has now entered “urgent discussions” with “multiple parties” about the project’s status.

Consequently, they have asked Valve to temporarily hide the Steam store page. EC Digital’s statement tried to reframe the page as a simple “placeholder” while they worked through “ongoing licensing and technical matters.”

This episode is a rough return for the game. The original title from Radical Entertainment famously retconned the 1983 film’s ending, letting players rebuild Tony Montana’s empire in Miami.