License error forces update

WayForward updated the credits for Sigma Star Saga DX days after players found the April 7 release used the mGBA emulator without the required license notice. (timeextension.com) Sigma Star Saga DX launched on April 7, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam, with WayForward as the digital publisher and Mighty Rabbit handling porting on Limited Run Games’ Carbon Engine. Steam shows a small update on April 10 with one line of patch notes: “Updated the credits.” (gematsu.com) (store.steampowered.com) (steamdb.info) Time Extension reported that mGBA developer endrift said the game used mGBA code without disclosure in the credits, then clarified that WayForward handled the digital release, Limited Run Games was the physical publisher, and Mighty Rabbit was also involved. The outlet said it contacted both Limited Run Games and WayForward and did not receive a response before publication. (timeextension.com) An emulator is software that acts like old hardware so a modern machine can run an older game. mGBA is an open-source Game Boy Advance emulator released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, and Time Extension said an unmodified commercial use needs credit and a source link. (github.com) (timeextension.com) The issue surfaced when players on Steam and mGBA’s Discord checked the Windows executable and said it contained mGBA references, including a GitHub link, but no mention of mGBA in the game’s credits or license files. A Steam Community post said the fix was straightforward because the game already pulled its credit text from a file in the assets folder. (steamcommunity.com) (timeextension.com) Frank Cifaldi of the Video Game History Foundation backed endrift publicly, writing that using an emulator in a commercial product without honoring its terms was “really, really gross.” Time Extension linked the dispute to a 2021 case involving Imagineer’s Medarots Classics Plus, which was also found to use mGBA code without acknowledgment. (bsky.app) (timeextension.com) The licensing dispute landed in the middle of a reissue meant to celebrate the game’s 20th anniversary. WayForward had pitched Sigma Star Saga DX as a refined version of its 2005 Game Boy Advance release, with a lower encounter rate, more save points, map markers, and other quality-of-life changes. (wayforward.com) (store.steampowered.com) The immediate problem appears to be fixed on Steam, but the episode left a narrower question unresolved: which company in the chain failed to carry over a license notice that mGBA has published in plain view for years. (steamdb.info) (github.com)