Damn, I was really hoping that somehow, someway, Iron Maiden and 3D Realms would come to some sort of understanding that would allow them to continue to use the name Ion Maiden for their upcoming indie retro shooter. Which really is the most perfect name ever. Alas, that is not the case and Ion Maiden is now Ion Fury.
Recently the legendary metal band’s lawyers caught wind the game formerly known as Ion Maiden, and then threatened legal action of the $2 million variety. The claim says that 3D Realms ripped the protagonist, logo, and font off of the Iron Maiden brand. You can see the comparisons here.
To be perfectly honest, even though I’m bummed about the title change… Iron Maiden is totally within their rights cause the game was so obviously inspired off of it, so I can’t really blame them. I’m assuming 3D Realms agrees considering they are changing the name. I, and I guess 3D Realms too, was just hoping that Iron Maiden didn’t care or notice, but they did so here we are.
Here’s what Mike Nielsen, CEO of 3D Realms, had to say of the name change:
“After careful consideration, we’ve decided to rename our first-person-shooter “Ion Maiden” to “Ion Fury,” said Mike Nielsen, CEO of 3D Realms. “A lot of thought went into this, but most importantly it would be a disservice to our loyal fanbase and the fantastic developers, to drag out a long lawsuit. The amazing gameplay, interactivity and pure fun, is what makes Ion Fury a great game. Not the title.”
Ion Fury, if you’re not aware, is a Duke Nukem 3D inspired game that will fuse classic FPS gameplay with modern conveniences such as auto-saves and improved physics. I played it a few years back at PAX East and it was pretty rad if you’re into that style of gameplay.
Ion Fury is available on Steam Early Access now. If you know you’re going to get it eventually, you might want to do so before July 18 because the price is going to go up at that point due to the planned scope of the game “doubling.” The game will fully release on Aug. 15.
So pour one out to Ion Maiden and long live Ion Fury. I’m still going to play it, and I’m still going to listen to Maiden’s live Rock in Rio performance later too. Life goes on.
Check out the latest release date trailer below.
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