Unauthorised PS4 Version of Cooking Mama: Cookstar Is the Latest In Ongoing Fiasco

Recently, you may have heard all about Cooking Mama: Cookstar, a Nintendo Switch game that was purportedly also coming to PlayStation 4. The story of this latest entry in the beloved culinary series has been pretty dramatic. While most of it applies to the Switch edition of the game, a new statement from IP holder Office Create drags PS4 into the equation as well.

But let's go through the whole thing to get up to speed. Our sister site Nintendo Life has been covering this saga, and it all begins with a botched digital release. The game was made available for sale in certain regions, only for it to be pulled just days later. While some physical retailers are still selling boxed copies of the title -- and the publisher resorting to selling copies itself -- the digital edition was removed swiftly, with no explanation.

Shortly after that, rumours began flying about cryptocurrency. The game was reported to include blockchain technology, but word was being shared that it was being used to mine for cryptocurrency in the background. These claims were quickly denied by the developer, but dataminers discovered the code for such a system was removed prior to release.

Some thought this to be the reason for the game's removal from sale, but the aforementioned dataminers also found out there were audio files ripped straight from YouTube videos within the title. Could this have been the reason it was taken off digital shelves?

Well, with today's new statement from Office Create, we learn a little more about what actually happened. According to the IP holder, the release of Cooking Mama: Cookstar was "unauthorised", and a direct breach of contract by publisher Planet Entertainment. Office Create goes on to say the game failed to meet quality checks, but that it was pushed out for release against its say so. This explains why it appeared on Nintendo's eShop and disappeared soon after.

It then discusses a PS4 version of the game that's currently being promoted. "Office Create has not licensed Planet (or any other entity) to create any Cooking Mama games for PS4," the company says. The licence agreement, as you might imagine, has been stripped away from Planet Entertainment, but it apparently "continues to advertise and sell the unauthorized version of Cooking Mama: Cookstar".

It's quite the journey for what is meant to be a lighthearted game about making food. We don't imagine it's over, either; with Office Create "evaluating all legal action against Planet", we can see this whole situation getting worse before it gets better. We can also safely assume the PS4 release of Cookstar, which was never greenlit in the first place, will never see the light of day.