Steam offers a way for small developers with niche products to get far more exposure than would otherwise be possible. That also means it is no stranger to racier content and dating sims are everywhere on the platform. This includes more than a few that cross the line into outright pornography.
However, Steam seems to draw the line at using live actors and is refusing to sell the racy FMV game Super Seducer 3. The platform banned the dating sim after multiple resubmissions and reviews. Steam deleted the game’s store page on March 19th. This action removed Super Seducer 3 from the Steam wishlists of around 61,700 users.
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Given the kind of games that hang around in the darker corners of the Steam marketplace, some might wonder what constitutes a bannable offense. However, those who have seen it say that Super Seducer 3, which is also banned on PlayStation, is far from the raunchiest product on the platform. In its official notice to La Ruina, Steam cited the platform’s ban on “sexually explicit images of real people” as the reason for the takedown.
Steam is free to set and enforce whatever rules it wants on its own platform and has banned or threatened to remove games for sexual content in the past. Nevertheless, this specific policy may come across as hypocritical. The implication is that there would not be a problem if Super Seducer 3 didn't use live action FMVs, but there are hundreds of lewd dating sims already on the platform. It seems hypocritical to some for Steam to put its foot down only when real actors are involved.
Steam has plenty of sexually explicit games, including an adult-only section. La Ruina himself acknowledges the third installment is more explicit than its predecessors. But as Kotaku’s Mike Fahey points out, there are plenty of Steam games with far more sexually explicit content.
While some have been disappointed by the game's removal, others are far from defending Richard La Ruina or endorsing the “pickup artist” lifestyle he built his career promoting. Various groups have justifiably criticized the London-based author for encouraging sexual harassment. The previous Super Seducer games do little to challenge that perception. However, both previous installments are still on Steam. The platform only banned Super Seducer 3 for its use of live actors in sexual situations.
La Ruina, for his part, is currently soliciting donations to help get the game released elsewhere. For now, his customers will have to make do with the torrent of dating sims on Steam already.
Super Seducer 3 is in development for PC.
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Source: Kotaku