Digital PC gaming storefront GOG has finally reflected on its decision to delist Devotion five years ago due to political pressure, admitting that the move might have come "at a cost to our credibility."
Maciej Gołębiewski, the store's managing director, recently caught some flack for claiming the company was "always ready to take a stand on the right values" in an interview with Eurogamer, after the storefront had resisted pressure and defended controversial indie horror Horses last month.
That doesn't seem like a divisive statement, so why the backlash? Well, about five years ago, a game called Devotion found itself in a similarly sticky situation as the beloved horror launched with a poster seemingly mocking Chinese President Xi Jinping, which led to its removal from Steam.
Developer Red Candle had claimed the images were in the game as placeholder assets and accidentally shipped with them, before the team removed them entirely. GOG then followed suit, pulling support for Devotion soon after.
Fast forward to now, Maciej Gołębiewski told Eurogamer the "situation remains difficult to reflect on" and the company made that decision due to "very real business constraints, a limited understanding of the complex geopolitical factors at play, and a lack of good options that would both protect GOG and partners and allow the game to be released responsibly."
Looking back, Gołębiewski acknowledged that the way GOG communicated its decision "understandably damaged the trust our users have in us." But making decisions like banning Devotion isn't easy. "Keeping a global digital storefront operating means navigating legal, operational, and commercial realities that don't always allow for ideal outcomes."
The situation with Horses was also slightly different this time, according to Gołębiewski, because multiple GOG employees played it pre-launch and decided it wouldn't pose any legal risks. GOG's change in attitude might be down to the company's newfound independence as CD Projekt recently sold the storefront back to its original co-founder.
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