'There is No Ill Will' Publisher Comments on Schedule 1…

Summary

Drug Dealer Simulator publisher Movie Games insists it holds "no ill will" towards Schedule 1 developer TVGS, despite investigating its game for potential copyright infringement.
Not investigating Schedule 1 would have been negligent, Movie Games says.
The still-ongoing investigation was deemed necessary due to a preliminary analysis suggesting that the two games are "very similar."

Drug Dealer Simulator publisher Movie Games holds "no ill will" towards Schedule 1 developer TVGS, a company representative told The Best War Games. That's in spite of the fact that the Polish publisher is currently investigating Schedule 1 for potential IP infringement—an act that Movie Games has now attempted to clarify.

Between 2020 and 2024, Movie Games published two Drug Dealer Simulator games, both developed by Byterunners. An unrelated game about the drug trade called Schedule 1 launched on Steam in late March 2025. Shortly thereafter, Movie Games announced it was investigating the Schedule 1 developer—one-man Australian studio TVGS—for potential copyright infringement. The move sparked widespread fan backlash.

schedule one character in front of a pawn shop sign.

Schedule 1's First Major Update Is Available Now in Beta

Schedule 1's developer shares the exciting news that the game’s 'first proper update' is now available to players who participate in beta testing.

Posts

By Mohsen Baqery

Movie Games has now attempted to clarify the situation, which it believes has been somewhat misreported in the media. "There is no ill will towards TVGS," a company representative told The Best War Games, adding that its Schedule 1 investigation is merely trying to determine the nature of the similarities between Drug Dealer Simulator and TVGS's title. The probe itself was initiated because of a preliminary legal analysis, which suggested that "the games are very similar," to the point that "there might have been an infringement," the spokesperson said.

DDS Publisher Says It Would Have Been Negligent Not To Investigate Schedule 1

Movie Games points to its status as a publicly traded company as the main reason for the ongoing investigation. By not looking into a potential infringement, no matter how small, the publisher would potentially face "severe consequences for negligence," the company representative said. The news of the investigation was originally relayed via the stock market communication system ESPI, where Movie Games is obligated to share such disclosures. The story was then picked up by the media and—in some cases—misrepresented as a lawsuit.

DDS Developer Has Nothing To Do With Schedule 1 Copyright Infringement Investigation

Movie Games also reflected on the recent cases of its Drug Dealer Simulator games being review-bombed in response to the Schedule 1 investigation, with developer Byterunners also facing some fan criticism on social media. The publisher noted that Byterunners has nothing to do with the copyright infringement investigation.

Movie Games did not clarify how much longer its ongoing Schedule 1 probe is planned to run. Whenever it is concluded, its findings will be disclosed to investors via ESPI, much like the news about the investigation itself was. In the meantime, Movie Games insists it does not want to prevent TVGS from developing or selling Schedule 1, adding that it has even congratulated the Australian studio for the successful launch before it deemed it necessary to investigate it for potential IP infringement.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image