Steam & GOG Cancel Re-Release Of Censored Version Of ‘Devotion’
The 2019 horror game, Devotion, will no longer be re-released on GOG. When the game first arrived on PC storefronts like Steam and GOG, it was discovered that the game had a reference of the Chinese President Xi Jinping, in which it compared him to Winnie the Pooh.
Earlier today, it was announced that the game Devotion is coming to GOG. After receiving many messages from gamers, we have decided not to list the game in our store.
— GOG.COM (@GOGcom) December 16, 2020
For those not in the know, Winnie the Pooh’s banning in China began back in 2013 when a meme compared a picture of Xi walking with former President Barack Obama (during a visit to the United States) to an image of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. Since Xi has taken steps to ensure that he will remain the country’s president for the rest of his life, many had begun using the meme to criticize him. So, beginning in 2018, Xi and the Chinese government have erased all mentions of Winnie the Pooh from the country.
After this reference was found, Steam and GOG removed Devotion from their storefronts when Chinese consumers sent complaints to them. While Steam announced that they wouldn’t be releasing a censored version of the game, GOG did announce that they were planning on re-releasing the game sometime later this year. But, GOG and Devotion’s developer, Red Candle Games, announced that they were no longer planning to re-release the game, even with the reference to Xi removed.