Game developer and digital distribution company Valve Inc. announced that they are pulling the video game "Active Shooter," which allowed players to play as a school shooter. The game is being pulled from the digital platform, Steam. Variety reported that the game publisher has a history of customer abuse.
Valve Inc. released a statement saying that the developer and publisher -- who goes by the name Ata Berdiyev -- is a troll, has a history of customer abuse, and has published copyrighted material. He continues to return under new company names.
Valve said that they will not do business with people who act like this toward users or Valve itself.
The game publisher, Acid Publishing, is run out of Moscow. The game was originally scheduled to be released on June 6 but received a massive wave of backlash because it allowed players to play as a school shooter.
'Active Shooter' allowed players to play as a shooter or as SWAT
According to the game’s website, players are able to take on the role of a S.W.A.T team member or the actual school shooter. According to the game description, your objective could either be to protect or hunt and destroy. The game’s publisher ended up dropping the reference of being able to slaughter as many people as possible.
The publisher denied that the title would feature non-playable characters designed to look like children, which could be killed.
During the course of the game, players would be able to track how many civilians and cops were killed. The game was released shortly after the Santa Fe High School shooting, in which 10 people were killed and 10 others were injured.
CNN reported that families of some killed in the Parkland school shooting called the game “despicable.” Florida Senator Bill Nelson blasted the game and said the developer should be “ashamed.”
'Active Shooter' being blasted by anti-gun violence supporters
Anti-gun violence group Infer Trust said the game was in very bad taste.
Valve has also announced that they will address their “content policies” in the near future. Currently, Steam allows anyone to publish a game on the platform for $100 but does have some rules. The platform bans hate speech, porn and adult material. Valve previously cracked down on some inappropriate visual novels. They also do not allow content that purposely shocks or disgusts viewers.
The publisher responded, saying the media was twisting his words, and he called it absurd that people were trying to get the game banned. He also pointed out that similar games have been sold on Steam for years.
