Developer Discontinues Controversial Plantation Game on Steam

The contentious PC game Plantation Simulator, which controversially allowed players to whip Black characters, has been pulled from the store following a request from its developer for removal.

On May 24, amid significant media attention and viral discussions, the developer FzzyBzzy shared a final update on the official Plantation Simulator store page. They announced their decision to ask for the game’s removal from Steam, stating they had “said what needed to be said.” Here’s the complete message regarding the delisting:

“Hello friends, lol. We’ve decided to retire this game! We think we have said what needed to be said. We saw the opportunities and took them. We are reaching out to Steam to take this game off the store page!! We do not know when they’ll be able to address the request, but we hope it is soon!”

By May 26, Valve had indeed removed Plantation Simulator from Steam, as confirmed by SteamDB. While the game’s page remains visible, it is no longer available for purchase. Backend data from SteamDB indicates that the removal was initiated by the developer, affirming FzzyBzzy’s decision.

Attempts to reach Valve for comments regarding Plantation Simulator have gone unanswered.

Launched earlier that month, Plantation Simulator was a simplistic top-down simulation game where players assumed the role of a Southern plantation owner, using threats and violence to compel Black slaves to cultivate crops.

At its release, the game included a content warning stating: “In this game, you will be whipping black people to keep your farm productive. If you whip your black person too much, they will die.” This clearly highlighted the game’s troubling premise, which initially seemed to be tolerated by Valve despite the backlash it received online.

On May 21, FzzyBzzy released a 1.2 patch that controversially changed the slaves to white characters, further complicating the situation and provoking outrage from various communities. Now that the game has been removed, many are left questioning how it was ever allowed on Steam and why Valve did not take action sooner.