Taiwanese horror game Devotion has returned to a digital storefront for the first time after it was delisted two years ago.
In a tweet earlier today, developer Red Candle games announced that its own digital shop was now open for business, confirming that Devotion would be available alongside all of the studio's future projects as well as its previous title, Detention. All of the games will be available "in DRM-free format."
Hello, Red Candle e-shop is now online. https://t.co/smmZxHj7zQ#返校Detention, #還願Devotion and our future projects will all be on e-shop in DRM-free format.We hope to provide a direct and simple purchasing channel for players who’re interested in our games. pic.twitter.com/1SxzBZSiyWMarch 15, 2021
Devotion was well-received at launch in 2019, but was swiftly pulled from sale in all territories after players discovered a hidden area containing messages mocking Chinese president Xi Jinping. The backlash to that discovery also saw the developer lose its Chinese distributor and social media accounts. In the wake of Devotion's disappearance, Red Candle implied that it had taken the game down to make unspecified changes, but there's been very little sign of Devotion since then.
The only exception came in December 2020 when Good Old Games (GOG), the retro storefront owned by Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt, announced that it would be releasing Devotion on its storefront. Just hours after that announcement, however, GOG reversed its decision, citing feedback from players.
Today's announcement is excellent news for horror fans - despite Devotion's critical acclaim, there was no guarantee that it would ever resurface after it was initially pulled. Red Candle's decision to sell the game on its own platform, however, is likely to ensure that this controversial release will remain available for the foreseeable future.
If you're looking for a fright, here's our list of the best horror games.
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I'm GamesRadar's news editor, working with the team to deliver breaking news from across the industry. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.