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UPDATE: Malaysia Unbans Steam, Fight Of The Gods Remains Removed From Store
Update #2 (9/9/17 at 11:20 a.m.): According to PC GamesN, the Malaysian government has since lifted its ban on Steam. The digital platform is now back up and running in the region, though Fight of the Gods is still removed from the store.
Update: VentureBeat is reporting that Steam has removed Fight of the Gods from Steam in Malaysia:
"From reports we are reading, this is due to a single game that conflicts with local laws,” said Lombardi. “We have contacted the developer, removed the game, and are attempting to make contact with the officials in Malaysia to remove the block. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
Fight Of The Gods is a fighting game that pits religious figures deities, like Jesus Christ and Zeus, against one another. It's also reportedly a game that has resulted in a country banning Valve's digital distribution platform Steam.
PQube, publisher of Fight of the Gods, issued a statement about the matter:
Fight of Gods is a video game that takes a humorous approach to religion in the same way that other entertainment formats have – across television, film, books and theatre.
The game is not promoting any religious agenda and is not designed to offend. The description of the game on the digital platforms through which it is distributed provide clear guidance on the nature of the game and its content so that people can freely choose whether or not to play it. We fully respect the choice of those who would not wish to play it.
We are disappointed that such freedom of choice is not given to everyone and in particular that the game has been forcibly removed from sale in Malaysia, although no direct communication has been received by us as to the reasons for this. Nevertheless we respect any rules and censorship imposed in any given territory.
We have reached out to Steam and are working with them to resolve the situation as soon as possible.
It's worth noting that we have no way to verify that Malaysia has actually blocked Steam access and instead are reporting off the information provided by reputable outlets, so keep that in mind. Still, if this story is (and likely is) true, then that's one way to keep people from playing a game.
[Source: The Sun Daily]
Our Take
It's unfortunate enough to prevent people from playing a single game, but to disable an entire store for the sake of it is astonishing and disappointing.
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