On the same day thatGOG changed its mindand decided it wouldn’t be listingDevotionon its storefront, an indie developer announced it wouldn’t sell its game on the service. Just hours after GOG made its reversal, Glass Bottom Games founder Megan Fox wrote on Twitter that she would no longer bringSkateBIRDto that online marketplace.
In the tweet announcing her decision, Fox took aim at the way GOG delivered the earlier news regardingDevotion. The onlline PC game store tweeted earlier in the day that it received messages from “many gamers” stating their displeasure at the idea ofDevotionbeing offered for sale. In the thread attached to the tweet, several people expressed their belief the change of heart was born out of pressure from the Chinese government.
RELATED:Devotion Developer Red Candle Games Working on New Project
Devotiondeveloper Red Candle Games is a Taiwanese company that has been repeatedly critical of China. Last year, the title was briefly listed and then pulled from Steam after an Easter egg making fun of Chinese PresidentXi Jinping was found insideDevotion. The devs compared Jinping to Winnie The Pooh, then went added insult to injury and called him “a moron.” The backlash from that Easter egg led to the game’s publisher, Indievent, losing its business license.
Apparently sensing that Red Candle Games was once again being punished for its political message, Fox taunted GOG by saying she wouldonly listSkateBIRDon Steam. “Earlier today, it was assumed that the gameSkateBIRDwas coming to @GOGcom,” she wrote. “After receiving one message from them that undercut a fellow indie dev, we have decided not to list our game in their store.” Fox citing “one message” in making her decision was a very obvious shot across the bow of the online game store’s claim they had several people complaining aboutDevotion.
While Fox and Glass Bottom Games drew words of encouragement for their supporting Red Candle, others pointed out thechoice of Steam forSkateBIRDas problematic. After all, GOG appeared to just be following in the footsteps of the larger online store. It was China’s pressure on Steam that caused problems forDevotion’s developers in the first place.
It’s understandable that Fox wanted to show solidarity with a small independent developer on Tuesday. She may not have even been aware ofthe history ofDevotionor that Steam took similar steps to GOG againstDevotionless than a year prior. The decision of Glass Bottom games still didn’t sit right with many, as it seemed to give Steam credit it didn’t deserve.
MORE:Horror Game Devotion Pulled from Sale for Making Fun of Chinese President
