Why was Only Up removed from Steam? Developer gives update on game’s removal

Only Up, the indie game inspired by Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, was recently taken off of Steam without any prior notice. While the game's apparent removal from the PC storefront might astound many players, it does have a rather compelling reason behind it. Only Up, much like Getting Over It, saw a massive surge in popularity thanks to its rather addictive gameplay.

Players who missed out on getting it previously are unfortunately out of luck, as there seems to be no signs of the title coming back to Steam. According to developer SKCR Games, the reason behind the game's removal from Steam was "stress," stemming from multiple accusations and copyright violations connected to in-game assets.

Here's everything you need to know about Only Up's removal from Steam and the reasons behind it.

---

Developer SCKR Games delists Only Up from Steam, cites stress from copyright violations

Only Up might not be the big AAA release, akin to Bethesda's Starfield that many players will associate 2023 with. However, it sure was one of biggest games of this year, owing its popularity to streamers on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. The physics-based puzzle-platformer was essentially a 3D recreation of Bennett Foddy's equally beloved Getting Over It.

However, despite being adored by masses for its simple, yet addictive gameplay loop, the game and its developer was constantly bombarded by accusuations pertaining to copyright violations. Speaking about the game's delisting, the developer stated in a recent post:

"I’m a solo developer and this game is my first experience in game dev, a game I did for creativity, to test myself, and where I made a lot of mistakes."

SKCR Games further explained:

"The game has kept me under a lot of stress all these months. Now I want to put the game behind me. And yes, the game won’t be available in the Steam store soon, that’s what I decided myself."

Only Up saw a massive surge of players, moreso after YouTuber Darren Jason Watkins aka IShowSpeed streamed the game, garnering 5.6 million views in mere two months. However, the title was, in many regards, a blatant copy of other highly popular games.

As of writing this article, the game is currently not available for purchase on Steam, with its store page being changed to "not available." Only the description and Community Hub section are live on Steam. Nevertheless, players who already own the game on Valve's platform can redownload and play it.