‘Schedule 1’ Community Is Outraged After Rival, ‘Drug Dealer Simulator,’ Defends Investigation Into Copyright Infringement

Fans of the breakout indie title Schedule 1 were left angered when a rival studio tried to explain why they are investigating the drug-dealer sim for theft. Yeah, the irony isn’t lost on me: two drug-dealer games are essentially engaged in a turf war. Regardless of the investigation’s merits, Schedule 1 players are not having it.

Two Rival Drug-Dealer Sims Go Head-to-Head in Copyright debate

Not even a month into the explosive success of Schedule 1 on Steam, the indie title was put on notice that it was being investigated for potential copyright infringement of the rival game Drug Dealer Simulator. However, on April 8, the company behind the allegation made a plea to the gaming community on social media to defend its actions. In the online post, Movie Games S.A. clarified that the investigation is being launched by the publisher of Drug Dealer Simulator, not the developer who actually made the game.

In a lengthy post on X, Movie Games S.A. explained, “There is no lawsuit. There is an investigation into the nature of similarities between the games.” The publisher went on to add, “However, we are obligated to perform this investigation and act accordingly.” Although the company claimed to have “no ill will” toward Schedule 1 developer TVGS, fans of the popular game were sent into a frenzy over the statement.

‘Schedule 1’ Fans Angered Over Investigation

On social media, fans of Schedule 1 argued that this was an unfair attack on an “indie developer.” Others threatened to boycott all future games published by Movie Games S.A. Some even claimed it was jealousy since Schedule 1 has been outselling Drug Dealer Simulator by a substantial margin. Interestingly, a consensus I keep seeing in the community is that “it doesn’t matter” if Schedule 1 borrowed elements—because it’s a “game that players actually want.”

Now, granted, that argument wouldn’t hold up in a court of law if copyright infringement is eventually proven. And yet, it speaks to a larger attitude among some gamers: they don’t care where their games come from, as long as they’re fun. Following the update from Movie Games S.A., users flocked to Steam to review-bomb Drug Dealer Simulator. The 2020 title has been hit so hard, it now has an “Overwhelmingly Negative” tag in its “Recent Reviews” category.

Players Just Want Fun Games

So, what to make of all this? While not a 1:1 comparison, this whole situation reminds me of the debate sparked between Palworld and Pokemon in 2024. The suspicious PokeClone had designs so similar that Nintendo even sued the indie developer. Despite this, players genuinely seemed to be on the side of Palworld during this legal showdown.

A big takeaway from all this is that players don’t care whether a game has a big budget or not. They are also not bothered by janky graphics or buggy gameplay. As long as the game is fun, they are willing to invest hundreds of hours. We saw this with Palworld last year, and in 2025, Schedule 1 is replicating that same success.

Regardless of how the investigation goes, it seems that Schedule 1 has enough fans that it is here to stay. Whether there will be future updates to address any similarities between it and Drug Dealer Simulator remains to be seen. But for now, it appears players have chosen their side in this dustup and are choosing the 2025 drug-dealing simulator over any of its competitors.