This is unprecedented. Who knows if Gabe Newell will create a system based on it in the future?

In June, Valve complied with a request from the South Korean government to remove an offensive Mount & Blade: Warband mod from Steam. The mod was not only blocked in South Korea but worldwide, possibly marking the first time Valve has globally removed a game or mod at a government’s request. The mod itself is a bizarre and absurd piece of right-wing esoterica that transposes the medieval sandbox Mount & Blade: Warband into a modern setting, presenting a distorted version of the 1980 Gwangju uprising—a pivotal moment in South Korean history.

The 1980 Gwangju protests against military dictator Chun Doo-hwan were violently suppressed by the government, sparking an armed uprising. Chun responded with even more brutal force. Government troops killed up to 2,300 people, and after the dictatorship fell, a national memorial day was declared—making this event a defining chapter in Korea’s 20th-century fight against US-backed dictatorships.

The Gwangju Running Man mod allegedly showcases a revisionist narrative favored by South Korea’s right wing, sympathetic to Chun Doo-hwan, slandering victims and protesters and justifying the massacre by government forces. The Age Rating Committee first blocked the mod in South Korea, then called on Valve to remove it globally. Valve is known for a hands-off content policy and rarely removes mods unless they break the law, manipulate the platform, or reach a threshold of controversy.

Past examples: No Mercy (depicting non-consensual sex) was banned in the UK, Canada, and Australia, but worldwide removal came at the developers’ request. Domina was pulled after its developer used patch notes for anti-trans slurs, following repeated Valve warnings. Active Shooter was banned due to the developer’s misconduct and copyright issues, not for content. Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque was banned in several countries for its portrayal of violence against IDF soldiers.

Gwangju Running Man marks the first time Valve has removed a game or mod from Steam worldwide not for legal or content violations, but because a government objected to it. While the mod appears to be childish and blatantly offensive right-wing propaganda, it’s troubling that Valve acted only at a government’s request, not through its own moderation policies. The risk is that a similar move might one day target less objectionable material at the behest of a more repressive regime.

Source: PCGamer, This Is Game, Wikipedia