ALL THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF PC GAMES

News

GOG capitalises on Steam adult visual novel confusion

GOG capitalises on Steam adult visual novel confusion

It would seem that CD Projekt-owned PC games store GOG is trying to make the most of the confusion about adult games on Steam right now.

The firm has revealed that a number of adult visual novel titles have come to its platform, specifically those from MangaGamer and Sekai Project. 11 titles are currently available with more on the way.

This follows Valve sending warning emails to developers behind adult-themed visual novel titles asking them to censor certain aspects of the game. The firm has since apologised and said that it is re-reviewing game content to see what works.

That's not the best news for developers as it means their hard work might still be axed.

“This opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time,” MangaGamer PR director John Pickett said in a post on the firm's website.

"We had been speaking with GOG prior to recent events about adding visual novels as a genre to their retail platform, and with Valve now threatening the livelihoods of visual novel developers everywhere, it’s a huge relief to see GOG opening their doors to these games.”

He continued: “We have yet to hear from Valve regarding the removal of Maidens of Michael despite repeated attempts at contact.

“Steam has now proven that it’s growing unreliable for small and independent developers, so we are very grateful to have the next biggest retailer in the PC market welcoming visual novels with open arms and an eye for quality. In the long run we hope to transition our full Steam catalog over to GOG, and we hope other developers will consider reaching out to them too. We want fans everywhere to always have a means of enjoy these great titles.”

 


PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor

Alex Calvin is a freelance journalist who writes about the business of games. He started out at UK trade paper MCV in 2013 and left as deputy editor over three years later. In June 2017, he joined Steel Media as the editor for new site PCGamesInsider.biz. In October 2019 he left this full-time position at the company but still contributes to the site on a daily basis. He has also written for GamesIndustry.biz, VGC, Games London, The Observer/Guardian and Esquire UK.