Steam Pilots Trial Ends With Both Claims Dismissed
The legal dispute over the unfinished shooting game Steam Pilots has concluded, with a Japanese court dismissing both the developer's claim for unpaid development costs and the composer's counterclaim for damages. The project, initiated by composer Motoaki Furukawa, raised a total of 11,022,700 yen across two crowdfunding campaigns on Makuake. Developer Pixel handled game development but received no payment, leading to its withdrawal in January 2022. Pixel sued Furukawa for unpaid costs in March 2022, and Furukawa countersued for damages and defamation in 2023. The Sendai District Court ruled on January 29, 2026, that the arrangement was a joint production contract with profit sharing after sales, so Pixel had no right to compensation. Furukawa's damages claim was also rejected because the game was never completed and Pixel's withdrawal was due to unavoidable circumstances. However, the court partially recognized Furukawa's defamation claim against Pixel representative Eishu Sasaki, ordering 400,000 yen in damages. Pixel appealed but the High Court upheld the ruling on July 7. Pixel stated it considered appealing to the Supreme Court but decided to accept the judgment and move forward. The crowdfunding platform Makuake had already refunded backers after the project was effectively canceled in 2023.