GTA-style Scarface game gets suspicious PC re-release

The 2006 video-game sequel to Brian De Palma’s Scarface—which rewrites Tony Montana’s fate from the 1983 film—is slated for a re-release on Steam and the Epic Games Store. Hong Kong publisher EC Digital Entertainment briefly pushed the Epic version live this week and then quickly removed it after an apparent premature launch. That premature listing is only one of several unusual developments surrounding the game’s return.

EC Digital confirmed plans to relaunch Scarface: The World Is Yours on Steam—the title was originally available for PC in 2006—but said a “technical issue” caused the build to be unintentionally published on the Epic Games Store ahead of schedule. Players who grabbed that accidental build discovered that at least one community-made mod was included in the package without the modder’s prior knowledge.

Modder Silent reported that the re-release bundled SilentPatch and Fusion Fix. According to Silent, none of the mod authors were contacted before their work was redistributed—something they said would have been courteous even if the license didn’t require it. Silent also suggested the situation is suspicious because the Scarface rights holder had reportedly been reluctant to authorize a re-release.

On its Steam page, the publisher noted that the updated edition “uses AI-assisted techniques to improve certain visual elements while keeping the core experience intact.” EC Digital said the AI enhancements are optional and that players can switch between the original and enhanced visuals at any time.

The re-release has clearly hit roadblocks. EC Digital posted an explanation in the game’s Steam discussion thread acknowledging complications and the decision to hide the store page while they address outstanding licensing and technical issues. Their statement, attributed below, asks for patience and for the community to refrain from harassment of uninvolved parties.

Hello everyone,

Thank you to everyone who noticed and showed interest in Scarface™: The World Is Yours (2006).

We are currently in urgent talks with multiple stakeholders about the project’s status. After careful consideration, we believe temporarily removing the store page is the appropriate step; we are coordinating with Valve to do that shortly.

The page had been intended as a placeholder while we resolved licensing and technical matters. Unfortunately, certain builds were unintentionally released on other platforms, creating unexpected complications. Because of this, we need to pause and reassess.

We apologize for any confusion or concern this has caused. If the situation changes and we are able to proceed, we will inform the community immediately.

This was our responsibility. We also ask that people do not harass or share personal information about anyone involved—especially individuals not related to the project. Some partners working on unrelated titles have been affected, and we regret that.

We accept responsibility and are committed to doing better.

Thank you for your understanding.

Stay tuned for updates as the parties involved work through these issues.

Scarface: The World Is Yours first launched in 2006 for PlayStation 2, Windows, and Xbox, with a Wii edition following in 2007. The game lets players assume Tony Montana’s role as he attempts to rebuild his drug empire after the film’s finale. An open-world action-adventure in the vein of Grand Theft Auto, it was developed by Radical Entertainment, the studio behind The Simpsons: Hit & Run and the Prototype series.

A planned sequel set in Las Vegas was once in development but was ultimately canceled.

 

Source: Polygon