Developer Calls Steam’s Labeling of His Open-World Game About a Grumpy Elder as ‘Humiliating and Surreal’

Molleindustria’s *Future? No Thanks!* is rated Teen by ESRB and 12 by PEGI. Described by its developer as “a narrative-driven, open-world adventure,” the game follows a grumpy old boomer on a quest to check off items from their bucket list before kicking the bucket. It has a lighthearted and quirky vibe, which makes it puzzling that Valve has labeled it as “pornographic,” assigning it an 18+ rating on Steam.

Since July, Molleindustria has been grappling with Steam’s content policies, leading to a delay in the game’s release due to “mild nudity.” Recently, the situation took a bizarre turn when Molleindustria showcased the game at Gamescom in Germany.

“We are currently at Gamescom in Cologne, and everyone is asking us why they can’t see the page of a Teen-rated game,” Molleindustria shared in a post on Bluesky. “This has been the most humiliating and surreal experience in over 20 years of game development. I’m desperately seeking anyone who has connections at Valve to help clarify what’s happening.”

The team is set up in a booth sponsored by the German government, and Molleindustria tweeted about the President of Germany posing in front of a game that Steam deems too explicit for the entire country.

So, what led to the 18+ rating in the first place? At one point, *Future? No Thanks!* included “untextured polygons” depicting “ass and boobs” linked to an achievement called “Have Sex One Last Time.” Molleindustria clarified that after this was flagged by Steam last month, they removed the entire sex quest and resubmitted the game, yet Valve remains firm on its adult-only rating.

To complicate things further, I can’t access the game on Steam. Being in the UK, when I attempt to visit the Steam store page for *Future? No Thanks!*, I’m met with a message stating that, due to the “UK Online Safety Act,” Valve must verify that I’m 18 or older before allowing access to mature content. I can’t even view the game because I haven’t verified my Steam account with a “valid UK credit card.”

I don’t have a credit card—never needed one—and it seems absurd to get one just to browse 18+ rated games on Steam. Fortunately, there are ways around this, but I want to emphasize that *Future? No Thanks!* is a game that looks like this. Valve apparently equates it to something as extreme as *Sex With Hitler*.

This situation feels reminiscent of what happened with Santa Ragione’s indie horror game *Horses*, which was banned from both Steam and the Epic Games Store for including an X-rated scene that was ultimately removed. Even after the offending content was cut, Valve upheld its initial decision, mirroring its stance on *Future? No Thanks!* despite the absence of the previously rated nudity.