Yesterday, January 27, the comedic sci-fi point-and-click Earth Must Die came out on Steam. This would be totally unremarkable, what with the amount of games released there every day, except for the fact that it was almost disallowed by Valve due to having an extra-terrestrial orgy. "Up until a few days ago, it was unclear if we were actually going to be allowed to launch Earth Must Die on Steam," publisher No More Robots says in a press release. "As Valve had told us that they were 'unable to verify' the context of the alien orgy. We were required to record and send footage of said orgy for their verification." This exercise in cosmic depravity is included in the mature content warning. "There is a puzzle that takes place in an alien adult bookshop," says a short blurb on the store page, "and an alien orgy depicted as a gyrating lump on the floor." Banned by Steam, $100,000 in the hole, and facing shutdown, graphic horror game dev now dropped by Epic Games Store "roughly 24 hours before launch" After 2 years and $100,000 invested, acclaimed indie studio is "likely closing" due to Steam ban, says it was "tricked and betrayed" by Valve: "A system that allows that is broken" GOG shades Steam in support for horror game banned by Valve: "We've always believed that players should be able to choose the experiences that speak to them" Apparently, this wasn't evocative enough for the company behind Half-Life, prompting the above request. Mercifully, Earth Must Die passed muster. "Fortunately, the orgy was approved," finishes the statement. Coming from developer Size Five Games, Earth Must Die follows VValak Lizardtongue and his trust robot Milky, as they endeavour to defend the Tyrythian Kingdom from the invading Terranoids, and destroy Earth. It looks hilarious and madcap from the trailer, and the voice cast is excellent, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Ben Starr and Man Down's Mike Wozniak among the stars. If the name Size Five Games sounds familiar, you may remember the company from Lair of the Clockwork God, an excellent point-and-click-cum-platformer from 2020. Needless to say, that one was less risque. Now then, I've a Terranoid invasion to prevent, with no other aspects of the story commanding my attention whatsoever. Valves faces $900 million lawsuit, accused of abusing its dominance in PC gaming to over-charge for games and DLC, as UK court says the case can continue