The Iron Maiden vs. 3D Realms legal battle has hit a turning point. The upcoming first-person shooter Ion Maiden is changing its name to Ion Fury in response to a trademark dispute filed by one of the world’s most popular rock bands. What’s more, the game got a firm release date and had a physical edition revealed.
“After careful consideration, we’ve decided to rename our first-person-shooter ‘Ion Maiden’ to ‘Ion Fury,'” said 3D Realms CEO Mike Nielsen in a Steam Community news post. “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.”
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The name change has already taken place on the game’s Steam Store page, and it’s just in time: The Ion Fury release date has also been announced. This retro-esque first-person shooter will be leaving Steam Early Access on August 15, 2019. The price of the game will also consequently jump from $19.99 to $24.99.
Changing the name will likely resolve any future issues with Iron Maiden, but there still could be legal trouble afoot. I am very much not a lawyer, but there is likely still some issue with the previous early access sales under the old name of Ion Maiden which Iron Maiden could seek damages for. The lawyers on both sides will surely hash some kind of agreement out on this matter if they haven’t already.
Lastly, the fine folks at 3D Realms announced a physical version of the game will also be launching. It will include:
- Bowling Bomb USB Flash Drive with a DRM-free copy of Ion Fury
- Digital Soundtrack
- A3 Poster
- GDF Keycard
- Bowling Bomb Sticker Set
- 60+ “Page Making Of” Booklet
You can buy the Ion Fury Big Box directly from 3D Realms. You might also want to check out the Ion Fury PC Release Date Trailer below to see the game in action. Ion Fury leaves Steam Early Access on August 15, 2019; in the meantime, you can get the Early Access version on Steam right now for $19.99 or your regional equivalent.
