AN ONLINE store has backpedalled on its decision to sell a controversial game over claims it mocks China’s president, Xi Jinping.
Gog announced yesterday that it would be listing horror title Devotion but U-turned within hours “after receiving many messages from gamers”.
The game built by Taiwanese studio Red Candle Games is already banned in China as it’s said to contain imagery comparing Jinping to Winnie the Pooh.
AA Milne’s famous character has become a light-hearted way for people across China to mock their president.
Gog – a shop owned by CD Projekt Red, the developer behind Cyberpunk 2077 – announced it would take down its Devotion listing on Wednesday.
“Earlier today, it was announced that the game Devotion is coming to GOG,” the online platform wrote on Twitter.
“After receiving many messages from gamers, we have decided not to list the game in our store.”
Devotion, which is set in an abandoned Taiwanese apartment complex, launched in February 2019 to a storm of critical acclaim and controversy.
Gamers quickly discovered a cursed spell written on a wall in one part of the game that made reference to Xinping.
The spell was written as “Xi Jinping Winnie-the-Pooh moron”.
After images of the “Easter Egg” spread like wildfire across social media, the game was banned in China.
It was also removed Steam – the world’s most popular digital store for PC games – after just six days on sale.
All mentions of the game were wiped from Chinese social media, where the hashtag #Devotion reportedly amassed 120million mentions.
Red Candle Games quickly apologised for the symbol, blaming it on a rogue team member at the publisher.
“The other Red Candle team members were unaware of the incident as everyone was busy with their duties during the project,” the statement said, according to a translation by the ABC.
“We didn’t (notice) this incident until players reported it on February 21, so we urgently changed the art material when we found it. This is not the viewpoint of Red Candle Games, nor is it the original intention of Devotion.”
A patched version of Devotion was rushed out, though it remains widely unavailable and is still banned in China.
Red Candle Games had announced earlier on Wednesday that the game would be releasing on GOG on December 18.
“Thank you for your trust and support,” it said. “We wish you a happy end of the year.”
The company has not yet responded to GOG’s U-turn.
Mentions of the cartoon bear with a soft spot for honey have been blocked by Chinese censures for years.
Citizens regularly compare photos of Jinping with other politicians to images of the Hundred Acre Wood’s furry residents.
It appears the comparisons are simply due to the 67-year-old’s resemblance to the pot-bellied character.
In other news, a horror game due for release on the new Xbox Series X console is on the verge of a ban in Australia.
Fans are still struggling to get hold of the PlayStation 5 weeks after the console’s release.
And, a PlayStation fan has created an “all black” PS5 that disappointed gamers think looks much better than the real thing.
What do you think of the Devotion ban? Let us know in the comments!
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