Another strange entry to the already strange saga of Paleo Entertainment's indie shooter Merchants of Brooklyn (PC).

Merchants, already released on Steam, was today entirely rebranded to "Drug Wars," the title of a free multiplayer component added to the game in mid-June. Users that already own Merchants will now see "Drug Wars" in their game list, with no explanation as to the change. Curiously, the title screen lists the game's name as "Drug Wars Beta."

Merchants of Brooklyn was initially released via Steam last March, immediately bringing forth reports of numerous bugs and poor performance. Some even went so far as to say "it's not a game," with Paleo soon claiming it had inadvertently released an alpha build.

A patch was quickly issued to alleviate some of the immediate issues. Later patches brought fixes, but not before reviews lambasted the game for its many glitches.

Paleo Entertainment has released another patch for its CryENGINE 2-powered PC shooter Merchants of Brooklyn, updating the game with bug fixes and a new mode.

Previously unveiled by the declaration of "YOU MUST HAVE DRUGS," the Drug Wars mode supports up to 32 players across four teams. "Capture the drugs, stash the drugs, defend the drugs," Paleo explains of the new vehicle-enabled Capture the Flag-esque game type. "The team that holds all of the drugs simultaneously wins."

Though available as a free update for Merchants of Brooklyn owners, Drug Wars is listed as a beta by Paleo, with the company further telling us that it is looking for additional testers. "Email beta@paleoent.com and let us know a little about yourself," the studio said, noting that those selected will receive a complimentary... Read more

Paleo Entertainment--developers of the less-than-bug-free shooter Merchants of Brooklyn--today announced Drug Wars, a new multiplayer game based around the acquisition of drugs.

Reads Paleo's teasing description of the game: "Find the drugs, stash the drugs, defend the drugs, kill everyone and take their drugs! YOU MUST HAVE DRUGS!"

According to Paleo, Drug Wars will be provided as a free patch to those that already own Merchants of Brooklyn. As they say: "ITS LIKE TWO GAMES IN ONE AND YOU CAN NOT HANDLE IT!!"

More details on the title are expected at E3. Thanks to Getyolipson for the tip.