The film production studio A24 is reportedly issuing copyright claims against independent game developers and artists for their Backrooms-themed content, according to multiple reports from affected creators. These claims are being made even though the Backrooms concept itself is not owned by any single entity and predates A24's film adaptation.
An artist known as GnarlyNet reported receiving a copyright strike from "A24 Films LLC" on Redbubble, a platform for user-created merchandise. The artwork in question was described as being inspired by the original 2019 Backrooms image and not derived from A24's film or related merchandise. GnarlyNet is not the only creator to have faced such action, as other Backrooms-inspired artwork has also been removed from Redbubble.
Developer Account Banned Over Copyright Claims
A more severe consequence was reported by Davilkus Games, an indie development team. The studio stated it received three copyright strikes earlier this month, leading to the permanent removal of its Google Play developer account. Their game, initially titled Exit the Backrooms: Level 94, was forced to be renamed to Liminal Complex: Level 94 due to violating Google's "impersonation policy." Davilkus Games also noted that at least three other small independent developers experienced similar copyright claims on the Google Play store around the same time. The developer stated that larger studios with Backrooms games appeared unaffected by these actions.
Kane Parsons, director of A24's Backrooms film, has reportedly commented on the initial Reddit thread, stating he is "looking into this" and that the actions "should not be happening." While A24 holds copyright for content directly related to its film, such as images and footage from the movie, the foundational concept of the Backrooms originated in a 2019 4chan post and featured an image from an independent photographer taken in 2002. Kotaku reached out to A24 for comment but did not receive a response before publication.