{"rewrite":{"id":"r_84f90b537ec7139bb7875413","clusterId":"c_5271542e27fabfae37e33450","slug":"dear-passengers-hits-1m-wishlists-in-two-days-amid-controversy","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Dear Passengers Hits 1M Wishlists in Two Days Amid Controversy","summary":"FLEXUS announced that the co-op game Dear Passengers, about crew on the world's worst airline, reached 1 million Steam wishlists within two days of its reveal. The game has drawn criticism for a character named Epst.J, seen as a reference to Jeffrey Epstein, and for similarities to a Roblox game. The original Roblox developer said it is okay. The game is planned for a 2026 release on Steam.","whyItMatters":"The game's rapid wishlist milestone highlights how quickly a controversial concept can gain traction on Steam, while also raising questions about originality and the influence of Roblox trends on the platform.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe co-op game Dear Passengers, in which players work as crew on a deliberately terrible airline, reached 1 million Steam wishlists within two days of its announcement, developer FLEXUS reported on July 17.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe milestone came alongside two controversies. A character named Epst.J appears in the trailer, widely read as a reference to Jeffrey Epstein, and a figure resembling Donald Trump is shown being removed from the aircraft. The game has also been accused of copying the Roblox title Land or Die! The developer of that game, Plenty of Planets, acknowledged the similarity but said they are okay with it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePolden Publishing CEO Kirill Oreshkin, who is not directly involved, noted that his company had encountered multiple teams pitching similar concepts based on Roblox games in recent weeks. He suggested that Steam may see a wave of games derived from Roblox hits.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Dear Passengers hit 1M Steam wishlists in 2 days, but the co-op game is already drawing controversy over an Epstein reference and Roblox copy allegations.","twitterPost":"Dear Passengers hit 1M Steam wishlists in 2 days, but the co-op game is already drawing controversy over an Epstein reference and Roblox copy allegations.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Dear Passengers, a co-op game about running a terrible airline, reached 1 million Steam wishlists in just two days. The game has sparked controversy over a character named Epst.J and allegations of copying a Roblox title. The original Roblox developer has said they are fine with it.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/07/17/169379.html\",\"title\":\"Steam's Next Hit Co-op Game? 'Dear Passengers' Reaches 1 Million Wishlists in 2 Days, But Controversy Over Epstein Reference and Roblox Copy Allegations\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":5718,"outputTokens":2342,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1784255260,"createdAt":"2026-07-17T02:21:16.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-17T02:22:28.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-17T02:21:16.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_5271542e27fabfae37e33450","canonicalTitle":"Steam次の覇権協力ゲーム？『Dear Passengers』発表から2日で100万WL登録。しかしエプスタイン言及や『Roblox』作品コピー疑惑で物議―元ネタと思われる開発元は容認","representativeArticleId":"a_a44226e7591d6c9c1481f083","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Dear Passengers\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-17T01:20:04.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-17T01:20:04.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-17T02:22:29.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/07/17/169379.html","title":"Steam次の覇権協力ゲーム？『Dear Passengers』発表から2日で100万WL登録。しかしエプスタイン言及や『Roblox』作品コピー疑惑で物議―元ネタと思われる開発元は容認"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Dear Passengers"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}