Japanese indie developer Daikichi_EMP has finally gotten his demo approved on Steam after weeks of being stuck in review limbo over an intellectual property flag that turned out to be a case of mistaken identity, with the IP in question was his own. His demo for WIRED TOKYO 2007, as well as the game’s store page, includes references to two board games: Second Best and DinoStone.

Valve’s review team flagged the demo over concerns that these references could be infringing on third-party intellectual property but Daikichi created both board games himself. The problem was proving it.

When he explained this to Valve, the reviewers were not satisfied and asked for more concrete proof. Specifically, they wanted license agreements for the IPs, or a formal legal opinion from a lawyer explaining why no licenses were needed.

Recently, he announced the good news: “I’ve passed Steam review! Licensing negotiations with myself have been quite challenging, but we’ve finally settled the matter, with me granting myself a license. After a heartfelt handshake between me and myself, I’ve finally released the demo.”

【ご報告】
Steam審査通過しました！
​難航していた「自分自身とのライセンス交渉」ですが、私からの私へのライセンス許可で決着しました。私と私の熱い握手の末、ついにデモ版がリリースします。
​柔軟に対応してくれたSteamサポートに深く感謝します。
[https://t.co/OZCT639JOl]#WIREDTOKYO2007 pic.twitter.com/01Y58KtSsS

— WIRED TOKYO 2007 (@Wired_Tokyo) May 9, 2026

The license declaration, signed under his real name, states that he is the person behind both the developer name “Daikichi_EMP” and a board game publishing circle called “Board Game Teikoku.” In the document, he grants himself “perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive rights” to all of the circle’s IPs.

The declaration also includes the following statement: “I assume full legal responsibility for the inclusion of these motifs in the aforementioned software. I declare under penalty of perjury that the information provided in this document is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.”

That was enough for Valve. The demo was greenlit shortly after. Despite the ordeal, Daikichi expressed gratitude toward Steam for what he described as flexible support throughout the process.