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I don’t know if you guys and girls still remember it, but back in July of this year we did an interview with the American indie publisher and game developer DEVGRU-P (at the time we talked about censorship, lewd games and much more). Well, guess what? Just a couple of days ago DEVGRU-P reached out to us for a new interview. You see, they informed us that they are working on a brand-new lewd visual novel title called “Our Feelings” (it’s a Yuri visual novel by Vazurea Studio). Furthermore, DEVGRU-P also had us know that they have experienced censorship on Steam.
So we talked about everything from Steam censorship, lewd games to DEVGRU-P’s thoughts on their upcoming Yuri game “Our Feelings”, and with that said. Please enjoy the interview =)
DEVGRU-P is a rather cool and open-minded Indie game publisher and developer from America. Thus the reason why they have worked on games such as “Attack Helicopter Dating Simulator” and “Bunka no Kenkyu”.
Robin TGG
I know that you have introduced yourself to our readers in our previous interview. However, since some people might not know who you guys are. Well, would you be so kind and introduce yourself to our readers again?
DEVGRU-P
Sure Robin. We’re DEVGRU-P, an independent developer and publisher based out of Arizona. We publish visual novels from pretty much every genre, and in-house we develop comedy and parody games dealing with the military.
Robin TGG
Earlier today you mentioned to me that you had experienced problems with Valve and steam regarding +18 patches. So could you perhaps tell us more about that “incident”?
DEVGRU-P
Well, Well, I was getting some work done the other day when an email from Valve popped up (usually those are just announcements about new systems or updates) so I didn’t think much of it. However, when I opened the email it was a “strongly worded letter,” telling me to remove my 18+ content announcements from my store page, announcements, essentially I had to remove any discussion of the patch’s existence. The patch was on our website, not Steam, so I don’t believe I was violating any rules.
DEVGRU-P are no strangers to lewd content, as they have released lewd games such as “Stay! Stay!”, “Panzermadels” and “Maid Mansion”. Lovely! However, sites like Steam and GOG are not so fond of games of that kind…
Robin TGG
Do you think that there needs to be a new platform like Steam and GOG minus all the political correctness nonsense when it comes to lewd games? If so, would you be interested in creating such a platform? I’m also not quite sure if Nutaku could help you (and others out).
DEVGRU-P
My only worry about segmenting platforms is that it splits audiences and makes gaming with your friends more difficult. I can pop on Steam and see that my buddy is playing PUBG and join in, but if I’m on, let’s say the adult platform “Vapor” and he’s on Steam. We won’t see each other. My dream would be that Steam opens up an “adult section” that is just hidden like they do now with the warning page “this game contains mature content, do you want to continue?”.
I think a happy middle ground would be no showing adult content on the store page, but the freedom to discuss it (like I did). Nutaku basically serves as the hub for western adult gaming right now, so I don’t actually think making another adult gaming platform is the way to go.
***UPDATE!***
I sent the following question to the adult online platform Nutaku:
“ Quite a few lewd game devs are now experiencing problems with GOG and Steam due to their +18 lewd games. Well, would it be possible for those said devs to get a chance to release their games via Nutaku instead?” – Robin TGG
Here’s what Nutaku told me:
“Hey Robin! Thanks so much for sending this through! Regarding your question, so funny because we’ve been talking about this a lot on our end. Essentially, yes! They can definitely have a chance to release their games via Nutaku instead. Steam and GOG are mainstream sites, and that’s why they seem to be running into these issues. Nutaku.net is an adult only platform, so we don’t have the same issues. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions!” – Nutaku
It’s very likely that you’re not going to like “Princess X” if you’re not into lewd games, because it’s a +18 ultra lewd title. However, if you do like lewd games, then don’t miss out on that one 😉
Robin TGG
Why do you think that sites like GOG and Steam are so hard on games with +18 lewd content? I mean, isn’t quite obvious that games like that are aimed towards adults? Furthermore, isn’t it pretty hypocritical of them to allow extremely violent games while being hard on +18 lewd games? (make love not war, yes?).
DEVGRU-P
I think it comes down to a legal issue, at least in the US, I believe sites that contain adult content have to have a warning landing page before you enter the site, and parents won’t be okay with their kids going on Steam if it has one, even if they’re just playing something like Minecraft.
Robin TGG
Where do you go from here with Valve and Steam? Do you have any game plan in place?
DEVGRU-P
We’ll probably just put [redacted] over the words 18+ and carry on until they try and ban us again.
Robin TGG
Have you experienced anything like this in the past? And have you talked to other lewd game devs about this issue? If so, what did they say?
DEVGRU-P
Nah this is the first time we have been censored in an egregious way. I did talk to some other devs and they mentioned that having other people mention lewd content could get around it since it’s not coming from “the devs”.
“Our Feelings” is an upcoming lewd Yuri visual novel by Vazurea Studio and DEVGRU-P, and the game is currently seeking 6,000 USD in funds via Kickstarter.
Robin TGG
I do recall that you mentioned something about working on a new Yuri game. So, what do you have in stores for us with that title? And will it be a multi-format or PC only kind of game?
DEVGRU-P
Yeah, I’ve been really excited about this one! It’s called “Our Feelings”, and it follows the story of a girl who wakes up to find herself thrust three years into the past, surrounded by “friends” who she has never met. She has to find out what is real and what is just an illusion, all while trying to get home. The goal one day is to start doing games for mobile and the Vita, but for now it’s a PC/MAC game.
Source:
Kickstarter
Believe it our not, but Inti Creates and PQube’s “Gal Gun 2” is actually coming to the Nintendo Switch in Spring 2018 (that announcement came as a big surprise to me at least, since Nintendo isn’t exactly well-known for being friendly towards lewd games).
Robin TGG
Have you ever thought about releasing a lewd game for 3DS and the Switch? I’m asking that since it’s said that Nintendo loves to censor lewd content to death. So I just thought that you “might” have had thoughts about doing so, but then gave up on the idea due to the risk of facing a lot of censorship.
DEVGRU-P
I always joke that we’ll do an “Ilsa She Wolf of the SS” game for the 3DS, in all seriousness though. I don’t think we’ll ever do a game for a Nintendo system because of their more family-friendly focus, it’s just not our market.
This one response by EA’s community team about SWBF2’s microtransactions became THE most down voted comment in Reddit’s history (I think the comment got +400K down votes before EA went into full damage control).
Robin TGG
Since you are a game dev, what’s your opinion on the current drama circus regarding EA and their microtransaction practices in ”Star Wars: Battlefront 2”? Furthermore, what’s your take on loot boxes, pay-2-win and having content locked behind pay walls?
Source:
PC Gamer
Reddit
Techcrunch
DEVGRU-P
To unlock this response you must pay $5 dollars. But seriously… At this point, hating on EA is like kicking the disabled boy, it’s almost sad. Paywalls are garbage game design that try and exploit psychology, basically a Skinner box. I don’t mind DLC when it adds new content like maps, factions, game modes, etc. (not guns and gear). However, loot box type DLC is just designed to force everyone to pay more for the game.
I know some company recently even got a patent on a system that matches you with players who have better gear so that you lose, buy the better gear, and then it matches you with weaker players for a game or two so you think it was a good purchase, then it matches you with players better than you again to get you to buy again.
Glixel (Rolling Stone) pointed out that “Cuphead” could have included “racist stereotypes” in their “Cuphead: Why 1930s Animation Continues to Grip Contemporary Culture” article (Glixel published that post on the 25th of September this year). Furthermore, Glixel also went on talking about the racism that went on during the 1930’s.
Robin TGG
I don’t know if you have heard about it, but “Cuphead” has been called racist due to it’s 1930s artwork. That’s just the half of it though, because the game has also been considered to be “sexist” and “ableist”. So, what’s your take on that one?
Source:
AlphaOmegaSin
Kotaku
Glixel
Gamefaqs
One Angry Gamer
DEVGRU-P
I’d actually never heard of the game before you mentioned it. I think that if something is racist because it looks like it was made in the 30s then that makes Disney’s Snow White racist too, which is absurd.
We did an interview with DEVGRU-P about #GamerGate, the SJW cancer, lewd games and censorship back in July of this year. So you might want to read through that interview as well.
Robin TGG
As you might remember, we did an interview with you guys back in July this year, and since we talked about censorship, SJW madness and #GamerGate in that interview. I would like to ask you if you feel like things have become better or worse since then? I for one have started to notice that more and more people are getting fed up with political correctness (I think “South Park” and “Family Guy” are leading the anti-PC/SJW league at the moment).
I’m also bringing up these topics again since I spotted a public lecture by Dr. Rachael Hutchinson called “The Representation of Women in Japanese War-Themed Videogames”
So what’s your thoughts on that one?
Source:
Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures
DEVGRU-P
Well I’d like to see her play Mein Waifu is the Fuhrer, I mean you can date a cute Hitler. Hess is best waifu of course but I think people like Dr. Hutschinson seem to be unable to separate memes from reality. Kantai Collection is not supposed to be taken seriously. I do think the political climate has changed a lot, with reactionaries gaining strength across the world and pushing back against modernism. It will be interesting to see which side wins out. I’ve got memes saved up for whatever happens.
Robin TGG
On the same subject, games like “Senran Kagura”, “Gal*Gun”, “Valkyrie drive: Bhikkhuni” and “Dead or Alive Xtreme 3” has been under heavy fire in the West due to it’s lewd content (SJW’s would like to see a full ban of games of that kind). So my question to you would if you think that we (gamers, game developers and publishers) have now reached the point where we feel like “enough is enough”?
DEVGRU-P
I honestly can’t answer that question because I’ve never heard of those games. I know, pretty big sin. I do think the games industry is making a mistake by catering to a small but vocal minority when the vast majority of gamers, male and female, gay and straight honestly could care less. They just want fun games for a reasonable price, and that’s basically our driving principle at DEVGRU-P.
The lewd visual novel “Bunka no Kenkyu – Revival of Queen Leyak” has done rather well since it’s Steam release in September.
Robin TGG
How has things gone for “Bunka no Kenkyu – Revival of Queen Leyak”, “Stay! Stay! Democratic People’s Republic of Korea!” and “Panzermadels: Tank Dating Simulator”? I mean, in terms of feedback, reviews and sells?
DEVGRU-P
BnK has gone really well, we’re actually releasing the next arc for Thanksgivings, I was going to keep it a surprise to get everyone pumped once they were too weak to leave their homes after downing 5 pounds of turkey and stuffing, but I guess it’s out there now, hah! We just pulled the patch off of the Panzermadels page, but obviously it’s still available on our website. Also, we made it obvious that it’s missing in case somebody is looking for it.
Say hello to the female roster from “Our Feelings”.
Robin TGG
Is there anything more that you could tell us about your upcoming Yuri game “Our Feelings”? (something that hasn’t been told already).
DEVGRU-P
Well it’s actually our first foray into the Yuri market, I’ve wanted to make a Yuri game for a long time. I’d get pitches for them pretty often but none of them really ever clicked with me, Our Feelings has that perfect mix of cute girls and deep story though, and so I went for it!
Robin TGG
What’s your plans, hopes and expectations for the rest of this year? And what are you looking forward to during 2018?
DEVGRU-P
For the rest of 2017? Hopefully to get out of New York for a bit and go back to visit friends and family in Arizona. I swear to god, the drivers here are the worst. It’s like herding cats to get them to understand the basic rules of the road. Going into 2018 we have a ton of games coming out, Nell Club, Attack Helicopter Dating Simulator, Mein Waifu is the Fuhrer, Chemically Bonded, Where Poppies Grow, and a bunch more. Hell, maybe we’ll do a “Panzermadels 2: Mechanical Boogaloo”. It’s going to be an awesome year for us, and I’ll keep making games until the FBI catches up with me for all of the funding we got from North Korea for making Stay! Stay! DPRK. Just joking! Maybe.
Robin “V-Act” Ek
Editor in chief
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @TheGamingGround
More by Robin Ek:
Tags: Censorship, DEVGRU-P, Kickstarter, Lewd games, Our Feelings, Steam, Vazurea Studio
