Horror Game Devotion Getting Physical Release in Taiwan
Many horror game fans are likely familiar with Devotion, a horror game developed by Red Candle Games originally released last year. The game stirred up controversy for its depiction of Chinese President Xi Jinping, though it's now getting a limited physical release, at least in Taiwan, the development studio's home country.
Red Candle Games warned that it wouldn't be able to fulfill orders outside of Taiwan, and that the game would only be available in a limited capacity. It's disappointing that it isn't being released globally, but for a small studio embroiled in one of 2019's biggest gaming controversies, it's understandable that the release is so limited.
Pre-orders for the game will end on June 15, though they will likely be incredibly difficult for gamers to get their hands on. In a Facebook post, Red Candle acknowledged that the limited physical release wouldn't satisfy all players, and asked for fans' patience as it works out what comes next. While the game isn't available for sale through other means, Harvard University did preserve Devotion.
Critically, Devotion received good reviews when it was first released last year. However, players discovered in-game references criticizing President Jinping, subsequently leading to Devotion being removed from sale. Many gamers took issue to the game's removal from the platform, with many claiming that the move was done simply to please a hostile foreign government.
Steam wasn't the only company to find itself embroiled in controversy surrounding the Chinese games market last year. Blizzard faced similar criticism, though to a much greater degree, for banning a Hearthstone player that made pro-Hong Kong remarks during a stream. The move led to harsh feedback from both long-time fans and the company's detractors, and is still brought up in conversations about Blizzard to this day.
There's been a steady rise of horror games throughout this console generation, with new franchises like Outlast popping up, and Resident Evil 7 returning to its horror roots. The genre doesn't seem to be slowing down, either, as more big horror games have been announced for next-gen consoles, giving fans lots to look forward to in the near future. It does, however, remain to be seen if the next wave will maintain the quality of what's currently available.
Devotion is currently unavailable on most platforms.
Source: Red Candle Games
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