Microsoft, please help Red Candle Games re-release Devotion. : xboxone

Earlier today, Red Candle Games, a Taiwanese developer, tweeted that GOG would be helping them re-release Devotion on Dec 18th, after almost two years of it being wiped from the internet due to a controversy surrounding a secret image in the game which criticized China’s premier, Xi Jinping. But just a few hours later, GOG balked on their decision, citing “messages from gamers” about the game.

Devotion has been praised as one of the best horror games of 2019, and one of the best in years. It’s made by a talented, dedicated team of indie developers who dare to talk about difficult issues. Their first game, Detention, was about the “White Terror” (equivalent to the U.S. Red Scare, but worse) period of martial law in Taiwan, and Devotion similarly takes place during the 80s in Taiwan, and explores the social climate of the time.

In the last few years, we’ve seen many major gaming companies and businesses such as Blizzard kowtow to the Chinese Communist Party, censoring games or punishing players who dated to criticize China by talking about democracy and human rights. I think a lot of gamers are starting to get sick of it, and Microsoft making a stand would restore confidence in a lot of us. Red Candle Games also deserves this chance! After the initial controversy in 2019, they were dropped by their publisher, and many companies and people in the region refused to work with them. Detention recently had an excellent film adaptation, but I doubt it was enough to keep the company afloat. Please, please give them a chance.