Dating sim Super Seducer 3 has been rejected from Steam. A censored version has been submitted to Valve, but creator Richard La Ruina says he's still waiting to hear whether it'll be accepted for publication or not.
What's going on with the Super Seducer 3 release date?
Super Seducer 3 was originally supposed to launch on February 15th, after numerous delays and pushbacks. However, on February 11th, creator La Ruina tweeted that Steam had told him they were "not sure if we can ship the game at all". Later that same day, La Ruina confirmed Steam had rejected Super Seducer 2, but had told him that if he submitted a censored version of the game, they would consider rethinking their decision.
Steam rejected SS3.
— Richard La Ruina (@RichardGambler) February 11, 2021
But they said that if we submit the censored version they'll consider it.
I think we'll be okay, but we will be late.
It's odd but we are relieved that it's not a total ban😅
If you are brave enough to watch, the uncensored version looks like this😱: pic.twitter.com/8FrpNVXyTa
On February 15th, the day of Super Seducer 3's intended release, La Ruina tweeted that the censored build of the game had been submitted, but that Valve had not responded to the submission. La Ruina also tweeted a screenshot of a message he'd sent to Valve requesting a release date update (to February 19th). However, Valve said it was "not sure" when the review would be ready. At time of writing, it's still unclear when Super Seducer 3 will actually launch on Steam, if at all.
Why has Super Seducer 3 been rejected from Steam?
According to Super Seducer 3's Steam page, the devs have taken player feedback on board and "turned the sexiness way up" in the third game when compared to the previous two. Judging from promotional materials and videos, this would include far more suggestive outfits and sexual moments, which might explain why Steam has chosen to reject the game.
It's not just the actual game that Steam has a problem with, either. A few weeks ago, Richard La Ruina took to Reddit to complain that the demo for Super Seducer 3 had been removed during the Steam Game Festival with no prior warning. La Ruina says there have been "no messages" from Valve to explain why the demo has been pulled. According to La Ruina, the demo "would be an ESRB-M" if it had a rating. For its part, Steam says the Super Seducer 3 dev team were the ones who removed the demo, but naturally, La Ruina disputes this. He says Steam wants to "limit" Super Seducer 3's visibility to new customers if they don't navigate straight to the store page.
What content has been cut from Super Seducer 3?
In the tweet confirming the Super Seducer 3 rejection, La Ruina includes a short video clip, saying "the uncensored version looks like this". There's nothing overtly explicit in the clip; several scantily-clad women can be seen, as well as a short kissing scene between two women. In response to a question asked by a follower, La Ruina says that two levels will be removed from the censored version of the game. Prior to the game's rejection from Steam, La Ruina stated that the censored version would have "468 moments" censored, and that it was "about as sexy as Super Seducer 2 (i.e. not very)".
unfortunately 2 levels missing too.
— Richard La Ruina (@RichardGambler) February 11, 2021
La Ruina says that his game is "less sexy than a music video", and that Instagram and other platforms "push the limits" with the content they show. According to La Ruina, both Epic Games Store and GOG "said no" to Super Seducer 3, too. According to La Ruina, the reason his game is being censored is because it features real actors and actresses rather than 2D art or 3D renders. We've reached out to both Valve and La Ruina via his PR and will bring you more as soon as we get it.
How do you feel about Steam rejecting Super Seducer 3? Let us know in the comments below!