Upcoming vampire RPG Nighthawks has been removed from Steam search and delisted in certain countries as Valve classifies it Adults Only: 'It's very bad news for us'

Nighthawks, a vampire RPG set for release later this month, has been removed from Steam search and delisted in certain countries like Germany due to Steam's stringent rules on adult content. The game, developed by Wadjet Eye Games, has been labeled "Adults Only" by Valve, despite claims from the developer and publisher that its depictions of sex and nudity are mild and comedic.

Wadjet Eye boss Dave Gilbert expressed frustration with Valve's classification, stating that the game is being treated unfairly. Valve's rules require games with mature or adult themes to be appropriately age-gated, but they leave the judgment to the developers. The Adults Only label can significantly impact a game's visibility, as it won't appear in searches by default and may be outright delisted in some countries.

Nighthawks creator Richard Cobbett explained that the mild content doesn't justify the Adults Only classification and hopes Valve will quickly reverse the decision.