Overview
- Valve has marked Nighthawks as 'Adults Only', removing it from Steam search results and causing delisting in some countries, according to publisher Wadjet Eye Games and developer Richard Cobbett.
- The developer and publisher say the game's sexual content is mild, mostly comedic and briefly implied, and they have contacted Valve to request the classification be overturned before the planned release.
- An 'Adults Only' tag on Steam forces users to log in and verify age and can require credit-card proof in some places, which cuts visibility and hampers sales for small studios that rely on platform discovery.
- A recent nearby case saw an indie title flagged for sexual content later cleared and released on Steam, showing appeals can succeed but also that review processes can delay launches and add commercial risk.
- The dispute highlights Valve's unclear line between 'mature' and 'adult' content and a 2025 rule tied to payment-processor standards that broadens what can be flagged or removed, leaving indie teams exposed to uneven enforcement.