CD Projekt has come under fire for reversing the decision to release horror game Devotion on GOG.com.
Devotion’s developer, Red Candle Games, tweeted earlier today to announce that the game would hit GOG on December 18, with a link to a store page now removed.
Hi friends, we want to share with you? Red Candle will publish Dedication on December 18 on GOG. https://t.co/dlC6qzBiHx
The content and price of the reissue will remain the same, for .99 /? 13.99
Thanks for your trust and support. We wish you a pleasant end to the year pic.twitter.com/peVPd7cyVo
– redcandlegames (@redcandlegames) December 16, 2020
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Devotion is considered one of the best horror games of the past decade, but it has proven controversial. Upon its release in spring 2019, Devotion was found to contain an unflattering reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping. The discovery sparked outrage among Chinese players, leading to the withdrawal of Chinese distributors, the closure of Red Candle’s account on Weibo, one of China’s largest social media platforms, and the game’s removal from Steam in China.
Based in Taiwan, Red Candle has extensively apologized for what it says was a placeholder, accidentally transferred to its final release. These comments weren’t enough to stem the backlash, however, and a week after the sale, the developer pulled the game from Steam in all areas to run unspecified fixes. It never came back.
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In its tweet announcing the dramatic change of heart, GOG said, “After receiving many messages from gamers, we decided not to list the game in our store.”
Earlier today it was announced that the game Devotion is coming to GOG. After receiving a lot of messages from gamers, we decided not to list the game in our store.
– GOG.COM (@GOGcom) December 16, 2020
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Eurogamer has asked GOG for an explanation. We also asked Red Candle for an explanation.
CD Projekt is already having a backlash on the move, with many suggesting the company is desperately trying to avoid outrage in China.
There is no way you won’t be selling it because of gamers’ opinions. They can simply choose not to buy that game. Who cares if a game they don’t want to play is just on the platform?
You just don’t want the platform pulled from China.
– Mah-Dry-Bread – Medraut Stowe (@MahDryBread) December 16, 2020
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CDPR: Releases a game about fighting government and corporate oppression
Also CDPR: gets a game from GOG within hours of being announced after receiving pressure from “gamers”, providing 100% coverage for “we don’t want to lose the Chinese market so we bow to censorship” https: // t. co / 3Te6DlVW1h
– Shaun Wall (@Nomaki) December 16, 2020
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It is the latest controversial decision from CD Projekt, which has already seen Cyberpunk 2077 launch one of the most controversial blockbuster releases of all time.