Valve has halted sales of the adult game No Mercy in the UK, responding to a complaint from the UK technology secretary, Peter Kyle, who labeled the game as “deeply worrying” due to its extreme content, according to news outlet LBC.

No Mercy is said to feature themes like incest, blackmail, and non-consensual sex. The Steam page previously advertised that players could become “every woman’s worst nightmare” and emphasized to “never take ’no’ for an answer.”

Due to mounting pressure, the developer, Zerat Games, decided to entirely withdraw No Mercy from Steam, defending their content as harmless despite the removal in Canada and Australia as well.

Zerat Games stated, “We don’t intend to fight the whole world, particularly not create any issues for Steam or Valve."

This incident incites broader discussions regarding Valve’s management of adult content on its platform since the company began allowing such titles in 2018, where they asserted they would only remove games that included illegal content or attempted trolling.

A 2008 UK law prohibits possession of “extreme pornographic images,” including any explicit and realistic portrayals of non-consensual acts. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper commented that the material is indeed already illegal in the UK.

The scrutiny of No Mercy also questions whether Valve adequately protects minors from adult content on Steam, especially after the UK’s Online Safety Act was established in 2023, mandating robust age verification for pornographic materials.

Additionally, former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries expressed that games like No Mercy should be banned to safeguard children and vulnerable individuals. “It’s appalling and contributes to the dangerous narrative prevalent among young men online,” she remarked.

In a sign of public sentiment, a Change.org petition amassed over 13,000 signatures demanding Valve halt global sales of the game, citing concerns that such depictions risk women and children.

The company contended that No Mercy had been misrepresented in online videos as it featured graphics from an entirely different game. Nonetheless, the developer acknowledged that the game constitutes behavior which is abhorrent in the real world, despite claiming it doesn’t contribute to social harm in a fictional context.

Despite tightening regulations for adult content on Steam, such as banning explicit images of real people, Valve maintains a relatively hands-off approach to managing adult games on its storefront.