It is a solitaire game, but the Russian government disliked its artistic elements and had it removed from Steam.

Once again, Valve is embroiled in a dispute over which games can be on Steam and which cannot. This time, the controversy revolves around a free solitaire game called Flick Solitaire. Valve has been accused of removing the game from Steam in Russia at the government’s request due to its LGBTQ+-themed card packs. Other digital platforms, however, ignored the request. According to Video Games Industry Memo, Flick Solitaire has been available in Russia on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store since 2020. However, shortly after its release on Steam in October of this year, Russia’s censorship agency, Roskomnadzor, contacted Valve, Apple, and Google, requesting the removal of the game from their platforms due to its promotion of non-traditional sexuality.

While Apple and Google ignored the request, Valve took action. Not only did Valve remove the game from the Russian version of Steam, but the company also criticized the developer, Flick Games, for not complying with the laws of the country where the game was distributed. Flick Games points out that Russia is not the only country where laws punish LGBTQ+ people, and Flick Solitaire is available in those countries. In these cases, Flick Games has never reduced or censored LGBTQ+ content in the game.

“Since launching Flick Solitaire, it has been available in over 40 countries that criminalize LGBTQ+ individuals. Russia is only one of these countries. As we began adding decks celebrating Pride or created by queer artists, we did not self-censor in any of these countries. It’s important for LGBTQ+ people in these countries to see that other LGBTQ+ people exist and that their identities should be celebrated. This isn’t ‘wokeness’; it’s basic human rights and equality. If Steam can’t support the free speech of LGBTQ+ people, then at the very least, they should be transparent about it,” said Ian Masters, founder of Flick Games.

Google did not respond to Roskomnadzor’s notification. Apple sent Masters a letter acknowledging receipt of Roskomnadzor’s notification, but assured him that it would not affect the studio’s position at Apple or in the App Store. Flick Solitaire is still available on the Google Play Store and the App Store in Russia. Valve is the only platform that bowed to pressure from Roskomnadzor, which, as Video Games Industry Memo points out, is not tremendous pressure.

Flick Solitaire is reportedly not the first game that Valve has removed at the Russian government’s request. According to PCGamer, Valve has removed more than 260 games from Steam at Roskomnadzor’s request.

Source: WCCFTech, Video Games Industry Memo, PCGamer