Devotion re-released in Taiwan after being banned last year

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Red Candle Games is exploring options for a wider release

Taiwanese horror game Devotion is once again available for purchase in Taiwan after being banned last year for a controversial reference to China's president Xi Jinping.

First released on Steam last year, the first-person horror was pulled a week later after being review-bombed for its inclusion of a Winnie the Pooh meme taunting President Jinping. The Shanghai government revoked Chinese publisher Indievent's business license six months later, seemingly driving a nail into Devotion's coffin.

But as spotted by Resetera, Devotion is now available for pre-order in two different physical editions: the standard type with the game, storybook, bookmark, and stickers; and a deluxe edition that includes the original soundtrack. Preorders run until June 15, and are exclusive to Taiwan.

Though, in a Facebook statement (via PC Gamer), studio Red Candle Games acknowledges that the limited release "will definitely not satisfy all players," and asks for their fans' patience while they "continue to try various possibilities" as they relate to a wider release.

For the uninitiated, Devotion made a splash in the short time it was available for its Kojima-inspired design and for being incredibly scary. Our own Rachel Weber - who once told me she falls asleep to the sound of horror stories - divulged at the time that playing Devotion caused her to "fully scream" several times. The game caused such a stir that it's been preserved at the Harvard-Yenching, a media-preservation library located at Harvard University.

With any luck, those of us outside Taiwan won't need to wait long to see what the fuss is all about.

Until then, here are the best horror games to inspire your nightmares right now.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.