A vampire game called Nighthawks was about to be locked away on Steam for being too adult, and nobody thought that was fair. The developers have now cleared the game of its Adult Only rating just in time for launch on 22 September, and they are not letting anyone forget why the mistake mattered.
Valve’s Steam store accidentally flagged Nighthawks as Adult Only, a label usually reserved for porn games. That would have hidden the game from most players, kept it off Steam searches, and made it disappear entirely in certain countries. The developers fought back, and Valve moved fast enough to let the game escape before it went live.
The Wrong Label
The developers explained the mix-up in a statement posted to Steam. They said Valve mistakenly classified Nighthawks as Adults Only, putting the game into a category usually reserved for porn titles. That meant the game would be almost invisible on the storefront.
“At the risk of disappointing some players, Nighthawks is not porn,” the statement reads. “Sexy? Sure. Deals with mature themes? Definitely. Porn? Most definitely not. Anyone playing Nighthawks expecting lots of sex and nudity will leave very disappointed. Any sexy scenes are text only, and the few scenes with nudity are presented with strategically placed props and hands covering up the naughty bits.”
The developers were scrambling for a few days while the appeal worked its way through. But Valve was apparently “very helpful in expediting the review on our appeal so we could get the AO rating dropped.”
What Happened Next
The devs admitted the ordeal was stressful. “Well, it was stressful to go through and we were basically swimming in cortisol the past few days, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a net positive,” the statement continued. “When I posted my frustrations on social media, I did not expect it to go viral. We got some press coverage out of it and wishlists essentially doubled overnight. All good things!”
The developer made a joke about planning the whole thing. “I wish I could say I planned this as a guerrilla marketing stunt, but I’m not that dumb and I’m not that smart!” they wrote.
They also noted that luck played a part. “I am also very aware that I am extremely lucky to have the fanbase and the (relative) clout to make a bit of noise and get this handled quickly. Many devs in the same situation wouldn’t be able to do that.”
The statement closed with a note about the bigger picture. “At the very least, our situation has made Valve aware that this is a problem many indies making mature games may face during the submission process. Hopefully it means that others will have an easier time of it going forward.”
The Broader Problem
Nighthawks is not the only game caught in this trap. Last year, multiple queer developers spoke out against both Steam and Itch.io’s restrictive content guidelines. Robert Yang also tried to battle censorship with a compilation of his award-winning games.
A satirical open-world game called Future? No Thanks was very recently subject to a very similar situation because of the game’s mild nudity.
Why This Matters
A game called Nighthawks had to tell Steam’s millions of users that it is not porn. That is absurd. The game deals with mature themes, but it is not pornography. The developers had to explain that the naughty bits are covered by props and hands.
This is a problem that affects independent developers everywhere. Mature content is common in games, and the distinction between mature and pornographic is not always obvious to automated systems. A game about vampires can easily trigger a flag, even when the actual content is mild.
The devs framed the situation as a chance to raise awareness. “Hopefully it means that others will have an easier time of it going forward,” they said. That is a modest goal, but it is the right one.
The Launch Window
Nighthawks launches on 22 September. The Adult Only label would have hidden the game from most players, kept it off Steam searches, and made it disappear entirely in certain countries.
The sequence shows how close this came to failing. A few days earlier, and Nighthawks would have launched under the wrong label. The developers would have been stuck explaining to everyone why their vampire game is not porn.
The irony is that the developers ended up doing exactly that anyway. Their statement, posted to Steam, is now the official record of what the game is and is not. They are telling the world that Nighthawks is sexy, mature, and definitely not porn.
The developers are relieved. They are also aware that their success was not universal. Many indie developers lack the fanbase or the clout to fight back when Steam flags their games incorrectly.
The statement closes on a hopeful note. The devs want Valve to see this as a real problem, not just a one-off mistake. They want other independent developers to have an easier path through the submission process.
That is a reasonable ask. Automated systems make mistakes. The question is whether those mistakes get corrected before they hurt the people who rely on the store to sell their work.
Nighthawks escaped the Adult Only jail just in time for its launch. The devs got their game back, got their wishlists back, and got their message out. It was a stressful few days, but the outcome was happy.
The game is now free to be what it is: a mature vampire RPG that is definitely not porn.
Key Dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Last weekend | Nighthawks mistakenly classified as Adults Only by Valve |
| 22 September | Nighthawks launches on Steam |
| Shortly after launch | Wishlists essentially doubled overnight |
Order of Events
- Valve mistakenly classified Nighthawks as Adults Only.
- The developers posted a statement on Steam explaining the game is not porn.
- Valve expedited the review of the appeal.
- The Adults Only rating was dropped.
- Nighthawks launched on 22 September.
- Wishlists essentially doubled overnight.
See the video the story is built around at Eurogamer.
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