Valve has quietly removed the adult game No Mercy from Steam in the UK after it received a lot of backlash for its disturbing content. The game is also no longer available in Australia and Canada. Now, the developer Zerat Games has said that it plans to remove the game from Steam completely.
No Mercy came out on March 22 and quickly caught attention for its extreme and graphic themes. The game is described as a 3D adult visual novel focused on incest and male domination. It includes scenes that show non-consensual sex and violence, which many found disturbing and unacceptable.
In the game, players find out that their in-game mother has cheated on their father and are then encouraged to “claim her” for themselves. It leads to multiple scenes where women are forced into sexual acts. The Steam page described the game with lines like “subdue her” and “become every woman’s worst nightmare.”
This caused a major backlash online. Many people criticized Valve for allowing such a game on Steam. UK technology secretary Peter Kyle also spoke out and said that such content should be removed as soon as the company becomes aware of it. He added that companies with access to UK users must follow the law and act responsibly.
Over 10,000 people signed an online petition asking Valve to take the game down. The group Women in Games also released a statement saying that the game sends a harmful message that violence against women is okay, which has no place in the gaming world or society.
Even though the Steam page had content warnings, anyone could view the game by just entering a date of birth—there were no proper checks. Also, the game was not rated by PEGI or ESRB, because Steam does not make that mandatory before releasing a game.
The developer, Zerat Games, responded to the controversy with a long post on Steam (blocked in the UK). They defended the game by saying that it is just a fantasy and that people should be more open-minded about different sexual interests, as long as they do not harm anyone in real life. However, they also confirmed that they are removing the game from Steam.
As of now, No Mercy can still be purchased in some regions, and players who already bought the game will still be able to play it even after it is removed.
Valve has not shared an official statement yet. But this incident has raised serious questions about how games like this are allowed on Steam without proper checks. It also shows the need for stronger rules around adult content in gaming platforms.
