naiwa 2026-05-30

The company warned the authors: monitoring the legislation of each country is their responsibility.

After a complaint from Roskomnadzor, Valve removed several visual novels with non-traditional themes from the Russian segment of Steam. The basis was Russian legislation restricting the depiction of non-traditional relationships among minors.In a notification sent to developers, Valve reminded them: by accepting the terms of distribution through Steam, the studio undertakes the obligation to comply with the laws of all countries where the content is sold. The platform explicitly stated that monitoring regional restrictions is the responsibility of the authors themselves, not the store.The developer Ebi-hime, whose novels Her Love, Like Poison and Rituals in the Dark were blocked, regarded Valve's position as shifting responsibility onto the authors instead of being ready to oppose repressive regulations. The company's response was succinct: “You promised us that your games comply with all laws.”