The indie RPG Nighthawks, scheduled for release on September 22, encountered significant hurdles when Steam applied an adults-only rating, effectively removing it from many search results and delisting it in certain countries. Dave Gilbert, founder of Wadjet Eye Games, publisher of Nighthawks, shared the news on Bluesky, stating that Valve, the company behind Steam, had "misunderstood" the game's content.
This incident echoes previous cases where Steam has assigned controversial ratings to games with little explanation, impacting their visibility. Developers of Future? No Thanks! and Horses have faced similar issues. For many indie games, Steam's discoverability is crucial for viability, and being excluded from search results can be a severe blow to potential sales.
Richard Cobbett, the creator of Nighthawks, suggested to PC Gamer that the rating might have stemmed from a few censored scenes related to companion romances, describing the content as "mild bits of T&A." This is in contrast to Steam's promotion of other adult-oriented games, a point highlighted by Kate Gray on Bluesky.
Fortunately for Wadjet Eye Games, the situation was resolved. Gilbert announced that Steam has reversed its decision and removed the adults-only classification. While he described the ordeal as "terrifying," Gilbert also noted that the unexpected controversy ultimately led to increased awareness for Nighthawks. He expressed relief that the issue is resolved but hopes to avoid such a stressful situation in the future. "More people know about our game than ever," Gilbert stated on Bluesky. "I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome."