The long-running Drug Dealer Simulator series is facing a storm of community backlash, with both titles in the franchise experiencing a surge in negative reviews on Steam. The sharp dip in ratings comes on the heels of a copyright infringement investigation launched by the games’ publisher, Movie Games S.A., against Schedule 1, a rising indie title in the same genre.
Originally developed by Byterunners and published by Movie Games S.A., Drug Dealer Simulator debuted in 2020, with its sequel following up in 2024. Both titles carved out a niche as criminal empire simulators, gaining a dedicated player base over the years. However, the recent release of Schedule 1 on March 24 has turned the spotlight—and community sentiment—against the Drug Dealer Simulator franchise.
Community Backlash and Review Bombing
In the last few days, both Drug Dealer Simulator and Drug Dealer Simulator 2 have seen a massive influx of negative reviews on Steam, with many users accusing Movie Games S.A. of “bullying” a solo developer whose game has outperformed theirs in popularity.
- The original Drug Dealer Simulator currently maintains a “Very Positive” all-time score based on over 18,000 reviews. However, recent feedback tells a different story, with 76% of the 575 reviews left in the past 30 days marked as negative.
- Drug Dealer Simulator 2 has been hit harder, slipping into the “Mixed” category as more than 10% of its all-time reviews now come from 557 mostly negative entries posted in the last month alone.
Many of these reviews directly reference the ongoing copyright investigation against Schedule 1, accusing Movie Games S.A. of targeting the game purely out of jealousy or fear of competition. Players are also calling out perceived hypocrisy, noting that Drug Dealer Simulator itself wasn’t the first game to explore the controversial theme of drug dealing in gaming.
A Tale of Two Crime Sims
Unlike its competitors, Schedule 1 has quickly become a breakout hit, attracting over 318,000 peak daily concurrent players consistently throughout its first week. The game’s popularity—combined with its indie origins—has made it a fan favorite, while the legal moves by Movie Games S.A. have been widely viewed as corporate overreach.
Comparisons are already being drawn between this situation and Nintendo’s ongoing legal battle against Palworld developer PocketPair. Much like the backlash faced by Nintendo over its handling of Palworld, Movie Games S.A. is now receiving widespread criticism for what players see as an attempt to crush smaller developers rather than innovate or compete fairly.
Final Thoughts
The fallout from this controversy is still unfolding, but one thing is clear: the court of public opinion is not on Movie Games S.A.’s side. Whether the copyright investigation yields any results remains to be seen, but the reputational damage to the Drug Dealer Simulator franchise may already be irreversible.
Unless Movie Games S.A. changes course or addresses the criticism head-on, the wave of negative attention could continue to erode its player base—especially as Schedule 1 continues to climb the charts as the new crime simulator of choice.
