Hours after the announcement, it would turn into a controversial horror game Dedication on its platform, CD Projekt Red’s digital storefront GOG has renounced its release plans. The company’s social media account claims that “after receiving a lot of messages from gamers, we have decided not to list the game in our store.”
Dedication has been at the center of a censorship controversy since its release last year, after players found in-game content that Xi Jinping, the president of China, called a “Winnie-the-Pooh idiot”. The Chinese leader is notoriously sensitive to the cartoon bear, to which memers have constantly compared him; the film Christopher Robin did not get a Chinese release. Mentions by comedian John Oliver were downright censored on social media after a segment citing the Winnie the Pooh comparisons. Players reviewed the game and the developer pulled it from Steam shortly after.
At the time, Taiwanese developer Red Candle Games offered several apologies, first claiming that they had withdrawn the game due to a QA check and that the inclusion of the art was a mistake. The developer later took a closer look at the art in question. “We failed in our players’ expectations and offended many others for the said error,” wrote Red Candle Games on Steam. “For that, we are terribly sorry and devastated … Red Candle Games take full responsibility and bear all the convictions. We sincerely hope this ends with Red Candle, and please don’t all innocent partners. “
In the following months Dedication struggled to find a new home. In a statement printed by The edge’s sister site PolygonRed Candle Games said that “in the aftermath of the incident, some still have various speculations about it Dedication. Regrettable as the incident was, we have to bear the full consequences. We hope for a second chance in the near future. An opportunity to prove that both Red Candle and his partner just wanted to make a great game and no one wanted such an incident to occur. “
It’s been a busy news cycle for CD Projekt Red for the past week – better known as a developer than for its PC store. The long-awaited release from the studio Cyberpunk 2077 is plagued by technical problems and requests for refunds. Meanwhile, GOG is notorious for posting insensitive material on social media, in keeping with CD Projekt Red’s habit of appealing to an edgy fanbase.
Red Candle Games’ Announcement Which Dedication would finally find a home on GOG, however, is short-lived. We’ve reached out to GOG for comment and will update accordingly.