Dear World,
Recently, there has been a lot of noise about the game "No Mercy."
We want to address a few issues.
False information about the content in the game was very often repeated. People created videos and spoke with great conviction about things that weren't in it, which showed that they hadn't even launched the game. Some did such extensive "research" that they presented graphics from a completely different game—I hope that game survived this ordeal. If this is what your attempts to act in good faith look like, we deeply believe that no one will ever suffer from being wrongfully accused by you. However, think twice about whether it's worth repeating everything you've heard from someone and whether the information you're passing on is actually true. Better yet, do some work yourself instead of blindly chasing views.
Secondly, many people unfortunately confuse fiction with reality, attributing fabricated stories where people who play "No Mercy" then go out on the street and commit vile acts. In general, all those who played it are mentally ill and hate their mothers and women in general. That's how it's generally presented, and we completely disagree with this. During development, we conducted hundreds, if not thousands, of conversations with people who tested the game, and everyone perfectly understood what the game was about and that it was a game. They were normal people. The same applies to the partners of all those who participated in the project. I guarantee that during production, no one was harmed, and we all consider ourselves completely normal and healthy individuals. However, we are concerned about the mental health of people who sent us emails. Some descriptions of what you would do to us were really sick compared to what could be found in "No Mercy."
About the famous kinks in the game...
Let's start with what shocked public opinion—incest. Real incest is something disgusting, and we fully agree with that. However, incest is also one of the most popular kinks worldwide when it comes to pornography, mainly because it typically portrays third parties, strangers, in no way related to the person watching it. Stepmom, stepson, stepdaughter are among the most frequently searched terms in pornography, which, for emotionally stable people, is just roleplay. I guarantee that no person who enjoys such a fetish feels sexual attraction toward their relatives. If we want to criticize someone for enjoying watching such portrayals, I believe we're intruding too deeply into their sexual sphere. Some people like feet, some like costumes, and some like this type of roleplay.
Rape. Here also, no one wants anyone to get hurt. However, it's strongly connected with blackmail and male domination, which is also a fetish. If someone plays with their partner at home pretending to be a student and teacher who demands sexual acts in exchange for a grade, should we label them as sick and call them rapists, check their computer, and lock them in prison? I fully understand that for many people such things may be disgusting, but during sex, people should really do what they want, as long as they don't harm anyone.
Can a game harm someone? According to many studies, with the emergence of the internet and pornography in the 90s, sexual crimes decreased by half. If someone is sick, dangerous, and might actually harm someone, would playing a game or watching pornography increase their desire to do so? We sincerely doubt it; rather, they'll satisfy this need at home and perhaps save someone from harm. It's somewhat similar to shootings and playing games—it has been proven many times that games reduced the amount of violence in people rather than increasing it.
It was also very inappropriate to report that the game was available to 12-year-olds. The game still required creating an account, selecting the appropriate option, connecting a credit card, and paying for it. Since so many people showed graphics from a different game, it might mean that it wasn't so easily accessible after all. In an era where such content is available online by typing one of the most popular pornography sites, we sincerely doubt that any minor would perform such actions. Nonetheless, it’s their parents' responsibility to supervise the type of content they access.
However, here we come to the last point, which is the role of media and various organizations, as well as internet content creators.
Please consider—would anyone who wasn't looking for such content hear about this game if it weren't for hundreds of articles, petitions, and statements from content creators? After all, if someone believed that this game shouldn't be available in their country, they could have handled it quietly; they could have reported the matter to the authorities. Meanwhile, websites used the trending topic for clicks, organizations placed links to fundraisers under petitions, and content creators made videos that garnered more views. The result of all this was that the game suddenly went from around 1,000 visits to 100 times more in those days. There are certainly events that need to be publicized quickly, when someone is actually being harmed and we can save someone. Was it really necessary in this case, for those few views and extra money for fundraisers?
At this point, the game has been blocked in 3 countries—Australia, Canada, and the UK. We don't intend to fight the whole world, and specifically, we don't want to cause any problems for Steam and Valve. They do a great job and are incredibly helpful.
If after reading the above, you still believe that such a game should not have been created, then we sincerely apologize to you. At the same time, we would like you to be a bit more open to human fetishes that don't harm anyone, even though they may seem disgusting to you. This is still just a game, and although many people are trying to make it into something more, it remains and will continue to be a game.
We've made the decision to withdraw "No Mercy" from Steam.
Zerat Games
