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Red Candle Games’ controversial horror title DEVOTION, which pissed off the Chinese government, is back! Well, the DEVOTION re-release is so far just in a limited capacity, but that may change.
DEVOTION is set for a limited physical release in Taiwan where Red Candle Games is based. This special edition is available for pre-order now and comes with the game, VHS-styled packaging, a children’s book, stickers, and — optionally — the game’s official soundtrack. The DEVOTION limited physical edition sells for NT 980 yuan (roughly $33 USD) or NT 1200 yuan (roughly $40 USD) with the OST.
This will be the first time DEVOTION is sold since it was removed from Steam in 2019. The short version of the events is that the game featured political jabs toward the Communist Party of China and General Secretary, Xi Jinping. Once discovered, the game was review bombed by the government’s supporters. The backlash almost shuttered the studio entirely, with the game’s publisher in Asia also suffering the loss of their business license. For those who don’t side with the CPC, DEVOTION was another impressive horror game from the makers of Detention rather than an affront to their politics. Ostensibly, the offending content has been removed from this re-release.
Unfortunately for everyone outside of Taiwan, there doesn’t appear to be any means to import the DEVOTION limited physical edition, nor have Red Candle Games announced a Steam re-release. If they’re able to sell the game in their home country, though, we may very well see a global re-release sometime soon as well. Let’s cross our fingers.
[Source]
