Valve Takes Action Against Developer for Selling LGBTQ+ Games on Russian Steam Store: “You Made a Commitment”

A queer visual novel developer recently shared a message from Valve after some of her games were removed from Steam’s Russian store, highlighting the absurdity of the situation. The message essentially places the onus on developers to adhere to a repressive regime’s anti-queer laws instead of encouraging them to challenge these norms through their storytelling.

Ebi-hime, known for her yuri visual novels like *Her Love, Like Poison* and *Rituals in the Dark*, took to social media to reveal that Valve informed her that several of her titles were banned in Russia after Roskomnadzor, the country’s censorship authority, deemed them in violation of local distribution laws. This isn’t shocking, given Russia’s history of embedding anti-queer legislation into its legal framework and labeling queer activism as “extremist.” What is surprising, however, is the condescending tone of Valve’s message, which essentially blames the developer for the situation. It states:

“We also want to remind you that you promised Valve under the Steam Distribution Agreement that your games comply with all applicable laws. Therefore, it is your responsibility to do your due diligence regarding where your games are allowed to be distributed, and to inform us of any territory where they cannot be.”

In a rather ironic twist, Ebi-hime expressed her frustration, noting that her games were banned due to the Russian government’s hostility towards LGBTQ+ individuals, while Valve’s response implied that it was her fault for not preemptively complying with these homophobic laws.

While one could argue that Valve is merely trying to protect itself by shifting the blame onto developers, the patronizing tone of the message feels like a middle manager lamenting the need to reprimand someone for standing up for what’s right, all while insisting it was the developer’s responsibility to censor their work to appease a fascist regime. The phrase “You promised” is particularly grating.

It’s disappointing to see Valve take such a passive stance against the Russian government. If compliance is the route they choose, they should at least be more considerate in their communication with developers using their platform. For those interested in Ebi-hime’s work, her games are also available on other platforms.