{"rewrite":{"id":"r_d926b9e80b60add8e14597cd","clusterId":"c_1932597b10da1d2413d1216e","slug":"steam-labels-nighthawks-adult-days-before-release-delists-it-in-some-regions","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Nighthawks Gets Steam Adults-Only Rating Lifted Before September 23 Launch","summary":"Publisher Wadjet Eye Games was preparing to release the vampire adventure game Nighthawks on September 23, 2026, when Steam applied an adults-only rating on September 13. The rating removed the game from default search results and made it unavailable for sale in some countries, including Germany, according to writer and designer Richard Cobbett. Dave Gilbert of Wadjet Eye Games posted on Bluesky that Valve was treating the game like a porn game and said Valve believed the game was sexier than it is. Cobbett told PC Gamer that the nudity and sexual elements are mild and mostly comedic in tone, with sex scenes amounting to a fade-out after characters go on a date followed by a \"10 minutes later\" message. The adults-only rating was lifted on September 15 after the developer objected. Valve gave no clear explanation for the rating or its reversal. Nighthawks is set for PC release on Steam and GOG.com.","whyItMatters":"The reversal came down to Gilbert's own account of his connections and fan base, not a change in Valve's stated standards, which remain unclear to developers without that leverage.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eNighthawks is a co-development between Wadjet Eye Games and Richard Cobbett, who wrote and designed Sunless Sea and Sunless Skies. The studio is known for The Blackwell Legacy, Unavowed, and The Excavation of Hob\u0026#39;s Barrow, while development of Nighthawks is handled by The Curiosity Engine. Cobbett also cites Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines as an influence.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe game began as a Kickstarter campaign in 2018, raising $136,128 against a $125,000 goal, and spent years in development before reaching Steam. In the game, the player wakes as a vampire six months after their own death, in a city where humans and vampires coexist uneasily, and can run a nightclub or pursue personal ambitions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCobbett\u0026#39;s defense to PC Gamer was blunt: \u0026#34;Vampires are inherently sexy, seductive beings, and Nighthawks is certainly a game for adults. However, the nudity and other sexual elements are very mild, mostly comedic in tone, and cannot be compared to the explicit content aired in HBO dramas.\u0026#34;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fallout was not entirely negative. Steam wishlist numbers \u0026#34;nearly doubled overnight\u0026#34; after the rating drew press coverage, and Gilbert said the incident \u0026#34;tricked the Steam algorithm into thinking it was a popular game.\u0026#34; He added that he believes the problem was resolved quickly only because he had strong connections, a fan base, and influence, and that many other developers would struggle to do the same. The Steam store page still reads, \u0026#34;This game contains frequent nudity and sexual content.\u0026#34;\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Nighthawks got an adults-only rating on Steam three days before launch, then got it lifted. Wishlist numbers nearly doubled overnight. Dave Gilbert says the fix came down to his connections and influence.","twitterPost":"Valve rated Nighthawks adults-only on September 13, then reversed it on September 15. The developer says Valve never explained either decision. Steam page still says the game contains frequent nudity and sexual content.","threadsPost":"Wadjet Eye Games notes Nighthawks is still listed on GOG.com, which makes the adult classification a Steam decision rather than a change to the game itself. Valve applied it days before the September 23 release, leaving a storefront gap rather than a content one.","newsletterBlurb":"Steam slapped an adults-only rating on the vampire game Nighthawks days before its September 23 release, then removed it after the publisher objected. The rating had already blocked sales in some countries and hidden the game from search results. Wishlist numbers nearly doubled during the uproar.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260916-467968/\",\"title\":\"Developer of a game rated \\\"adults only\\\" on Steam just before release is baffled, saying \\\"it's not that erotic\\\"; rating lifted, leading to an \\\"unexpected promotional effect\\\"\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/14/172226.html\",\"title\":\"Yet Again Rated \\\"Adult\\\" on Steam Just Before Release: Vampire RPG 'Nighthawks' - \\\"Valve Is Treating This Game Like a Porn Game,\\\" Sales Suspended in Some Regions\"},{\"source\":\"GameBusiness.jp\",\"url\":\"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/09/15/28043.html\",\"title\":\"Steam Again Labels Vampire RPG 'Nighthawks' as 'Adult' Just Before Release - \\\"Valve Is Treating This Game Like a Porn Game,\\\" Sales Suspended in Some Regions\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":17600,"outputTokens":1456,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1789370970,"createdAt":"2026-09-14T07:24:49.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-09-14T07:28:22.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-16T07:56:02.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_1932597b10da1d2413d1216e","canonicalTitle":"またもや発売直前にSteamから“成人向け”判定、吸血鬼RPG『Nighthawks』―「Valveは本作をポルノゲームのように扱っている」一部地域では販売停止に","representativeArticleId":"a_1a2e96773290fcdc9032d2e6","sourceCount":3,"writtenSourceCount":3,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Nighthawks\"],\"studios\":[\"Valve\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"written","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-14T06:30:04.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-16T07:37:55.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-16T07:56:02.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260916-467968/","title":"Steamで発売直前に「成人指定」されたゲームの開発者が“そんなにエッチじゃない”と困惑。無事解除され、“思わぬ宣伝効果”まで"},{"source":"GameBusiness.jp","url":"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/09/15/28043.html","title":"またもや発売直前にSteamから“成人向け”判定、吸血鬼RPG『Nighthawks』―「Valveは本作をポルノゲームのように扱っている」一部地域では販売停止に"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/14/172226.html","title":"またもや発売直前にSteamから“成人向け”判定、吸血鬼RPG『Nighthawks』―「Valveは本作をポルノゲームのように扱っている」一部地域では販売停止に"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Nighthawks"],"studios":["Valve"],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Steam applied an adults-only rating to Nighthawks on September 13, 2026, shortly before its September 23, 2026 release date.","The adults-only rating was lifted on September 15, 2026, after publisher Wadjet Eye Games objected to Valve.","The adults-only rating made Nighthawks unavailable for sale in some countries, including Germany, and removed it from default Steam search results.","Nighthawks is set for release on PC via Steam and GOG.com, and does not currently support Japanese.","Nighthawks raised $136,128 on Kickstarter in 2018 against a $125,000 goal."],"pageLinks":{"healthSlugs":["nighthawks","valve"],"storySlugs":[],"entities":[{"slug":"nighthawks","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":3,"overall":"unverified","story_count":1,"has_dossier":false},{"slug":"valve","supported":2,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":30,"overall":"green","story_count":40,"has_dossier":true}],"stories":[],"entitiesOk":true,"storiesOk":true}}