Sequel to Infamously Bad Game Delayed After Failing Steam Review; Developer Pleads, “Come on Steam, you guys are busting my balls”

According to Kanipro, Valve declined to approve Hong Kong 2097 for distribution. The developer warned this might happen: a recent tweet noted the game “failed its first Steam review” and cautioned that another failure would force a delay. After a second failed review and an apparent lack of follow-up from Steam, Kanipro has pushed the release into Q1 2026. See the developer’s post.

“Two weeks since resubmitting and still no response from Steam, so we’ll have to delay the release of Hong Kong 2097. New release ‘date’ is Q1 2026,” reads Kanipro’s recent update. “The game is completely finished, but we can’t move forward without approval. I’m in gamedev limbo.”

Two weeks since resubmitting and still no response from Steam, so we’ll have to delay the release of Hong Kong 2097. New release “date” is Q1 2026. The game is totally finished but we can’t do anything without approval. I’m in gamedev limbo pic.twitter.com/MRCWPXdaDsDecember 4, 2025

In a follow-up tweet, Kanipro pushed back against Steam’s silence, arguing the title contains no explicit nudity and is fully playable from start to finish, and urging Valve to allow the release. Read the tweet here.

The situation is notable because Valve’s moderation choices have often seemed inconsistent: the storefront has hosted titles that test the limits of taste, so until Valve clarifies the specific reasons for rejecting Hong Kong 2097, many observers are likening this to other recent platform-moderation controversies.

Steam removing adult games shows “you can even censor another country’s free speech,” claims Nier creator Yoko Taro.

 

Source: gamesradar.com