/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Tell me /jp/, is censorship and Steam doing any good to Visual Novels on the western Visual Novel scene?

I'm not talking about mosaics on CGs. I'm talking about content being removed or altered in order to release a Visual Novel on Steam with no uncut edition available. The Steam market was worth it when the first Visual Novels were released on it however, after being flooded with shit, interest has declined a lot but even so, some companies think it's worth it to censor Visual Novels with pretty much no care for a uncut version.

Sekai Project in particular relies a lot on Steam and we've seen them releasing at least one Visual Novel (G-senjou no Maou) with no uncut edition available. They also announced all ages versions Hoshimeno, Maitetsu and Baldr Sky and even though they promised word about uncut releases first on AX and then on Otakon, they've said nothing. They actually work on uncut editions of the Grisaia series however, those versions are delayed by months.

I'm sure that MangaGamer also relies on Steam somewhat but even though they do a great job with their releases by always providing a uncensored version of a Visual Novel they release on Steam on their site, their sales apparently aren't great due to lack of interest.

Some japanese developers are now trying by themselves to release their games on Steam and in some cases, no uncut edition is / will be made available.

I sometimes wonder, where will the future lead us? I never bought and never will buy a censored Visual Novel. If a Visual Novel has a version with sexual content and a localization is in progress, I want a uncut version unless there are some extraordinary circunstances like the current case of Himawari. Contrary to some individuals opinion, the reason I want a uncut version is not only to fap. The reason is not only a matter of principle but also because I, as a Visual Novel fan since years ago, see value on such scenes.

Anyway, I'd like to hear you guys thoughts about this.

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