bro low-key your turning me into a hater too... everything I see about this game is vile and disgusting. I'm all for free speech, but at the end of the day, what Steam puts on their website/application represents their company and affects their reputation. This game seems vile. If I had a platform like Steam I would remove the game too, and not because I hate you or discriminate against you, but because I don't want to host/advertize this kinds of disgusting content.
How was I a hater before knowing about the game?
"I am all for free speech and there is no "but" after that." and I'm sure that you would let some random people insult your wife, share inappropriate speech with your children, and use foul language in your house or your private property in defence of this free speech... of course not. Freedom of speech does not override private property... Steam has the right to restrict speech on their platform, especially when it is foul speech that can have negative impacts on Steam's community. Every company does this, Riot, Steam, Epic Games, Twitter, Youtube, Etc. It is not your right to use Steams platform it is a privilege granted to you by Steam, and that privilege can be revocted whenever Steam decides.
Iv never heard of this game or situation before reading the OP's post but its very telling how many people are trying to defend this vile ubhorrent game. Shows a lot about the Itch.io community.
I'm confused by your definition of "freedom of speech". You have the freedom to create whatever art/game you want. The dev could have created the game if he wanted to. Freedom of speech does not require Steam to host your game on their platform, however.
Not to mention, if you are a huge champion of "freedom of speech," why are you so upset that the community is "bullying" (your words not mine) when they are also expressing their views through their freedom of speech? So the game dev is protected by the freedom of speech but not the community expressing dissenting views?
Yes, Steam can decide to not host something. They have strict guidelines and quality standards. Which means the main content must have been in the game when they scrutinized it. And they did greenlight the game in the publishing process. Think about that. A professional or more had an actual look at the game and decided it was ok for the adult section of the platform.
Makes you wonder. Are those people greenlighting games idiots? Is Steam ok with "rape simulators"? Or maybe the activists trying to remove the game did not use quite the truth to rile up their angry mob... (Just read the statement of the developers what actually happened on Steam. Don't take our word for it).
This is not about free speech. Some might argue that the game would fall under free speech and the government could not forbid it for existing. And that would be true, but besides the point. Although some do argue that the game itself should be forbidden, since it leads to imitation, but that has been disproven for games, including adult games.
So the haters have no legal grounds either way to call for bans of the game. And resort to bullying platforms, credit card companies and riling up an angry mob in social media to effectively ban it anyway.
And they did not use "free speech" for that, but lies and harassment. Platforms and eventually the developers rather removed the game, than deal with that pressure.
It is not in dispute that a platform can remove any kind of content for any kind of reason.
But it should also not be in dispute that harassment is not ok to achieve such goals. And that it is also not ok to gather supporters by using fallacies and outright lies. Unfortunately, a lot of people justify the means by the ends, since it hit a nieche game they in particular would find disgusting anyway.
Oh that game is vile. That is not in dispute. It has incest. I understand the appeal. Same as for the blackmail and non con plot devices. Forbidden fruit and all that. Possible in fiction, but not in reality. In short, pulp smut.
Steam actually did not remove the game. The developers pulled it. I linked to their statement. The game did not violate any of Steams rules for adult games. Otherwise Steam would not have allowed it on the platform in the first place or pulled it after legit allegations. But the allegations were not legit. You need to pay $ 100 to publish on Steam and they do not accept barely started games. They do have a look before allowing something to be published. It might not be a very scrutinizing look for quality, but they do look out for bad apples. It is big news if Steam has to pull a game after publishing.
Your gloating just reveals the issue I mentioned above. The activists picked an easy target. Easy win. Activists happy. What will be their next target? And that they picked this and used fake evidence to rile up their mob indicates to me, that this was not about the game itself, but about other goals. Like binding their followers and getting new ones.
gloating? buddy I'v never heard of the game before reading your post... you admit the game is vile, so why would you be surprised if it's taken off a platform? I got no horse in this race, just thought it was telling that people are defending a disgusting game. how do you reconcile, "the activists won" with "the devs pulled the game"? Not even the developers thought they should post the game? (truly asking this iv never heard of this particular situation before)
Are you ok that fake evidence and bullying was used to fight a game? Yes? Then you can laugh (as you did XD) and I will call that gloating.
No? Then you would also "defend this game" as I did? I voiced me not being ok with how the game was attacked and I argued against the points that were used to justify trying to ban such games. Those points were not true when used against the fps I played decades ago. They are not true now, even if it is "a vile" game.
I suggest reading the statement from the developers I linked to, and how they see their game. It will answer your questions.