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Gaming

01st Nov 2022

IKEA threatens legal action against new horror game The Store Is Closed

Rory Cashin

The game itself is based on a famous online short story…

“Have you ever gotten lost in one of those big furniture stores? Well, I’ve been stuck in this one for days. It just seems to be on forever. I tried to find help, but there is something wrong with the staff. Even worse, at night, the lights go out.

“I’ve survived on food from the cafes, and made use of what I could find around me. But lately, the staff have been more aggressive. If I want a chance of finding the exit, I’ll have to go deeper into the store…”

That is the synopsis for new video game The Store Is Closed, as detailed by the Kickstarter trailer below. The new survival horror game is based on the famous Infinite IKEA SCP (the SCP stands for Secure/Contain/Protect, and is the title to a huge archive of online horror short stories).

Jacob Shaw has developed his new game based on that SCP, but it has not gone unnoticed by IKEA, with the glaring similarities between the fictional STYR store in his game, and the real-life mega-store.

As reported by GameRant: “While the game’s imagery isn’t identical to IKEA’s, there are similarities, like the colour of the store, the Scandinavian influence in the store’s title and indoor imagery as well as the yellow vertical striped shirts identical to those worn by IKEA personnel” and “a grey path on the floor” which were deemed too closely based on the real store.

This has led to IKEA’s legal team sending Shaw a letter to have these elements removed, which is a lot better than demanding the game be cancelled outright, or demand a cut of any eventual profits.

Here’s hoping Shaw and IKEA can reach a happy middle ground, because the game as it is looks suitably scary.

The Store Is Closed is currently due to arrive on PS5, Series X|S & PC in June 2024.