Ikea asks SCP-inspired horror game to remove brand reference

Horror games have taken inspiration from everyday life for several years now, but this can cause some unexpected complications for indie developers. Furniture giant Ikea has demanded that the developer of promising horror game The Store is Closed remove all references to its stores.

What’s surprising about this move is that Store Is Closed isn’t available for sale yet. Its successful Kickstarter campaign is just days away, raising nearly $66,000 so far against a goal of $11,507. The game’s Kickstarter page describes it as an SCP-inspired horror game set in an infinite furniture store with crafting and building mechanics.

The legal letter accuses single developer Jacob Schock of using “indicia associated with the famous Ikea store”. These aspects include a blue-and-yellow sign with a “Scandinavian name”, a blue box-like building, furniture that looks like Ikea furniture, and a gray path on the floor. Shaw told Kotaku that he disputes the characterization, noting that some of these allegations are quite vague.

The letter gave Shaw ten business days to remove these “indies” from the game. Shaw said he had to step away from alpha testing to focus on addressing these changes. The Store is Closed is one of many, many SCP and “backroom”-inspired horror games in the world. We’ve featured another Ikea-themed game in our Roblox horror roundup. Both games appear to be inspired by the Creepypasta SCP-3008, which is clearly described as taking on an Ikea form.