other games Gaming News: Game Pulled from Steam after Developer Tweets Gabe Newell Death Threat

[Armory Staff]

/files/u166440/paranautical_activity_002.jpgDeveloper Mike Maulbeck announces resignation shortly after

It is not often that Valve will pull a game from its digital distribution platform Steam. However, Paranautical Activity was removed from Steam after Code Avarice co-owner Mike Maulbeck posted an angry tweet saying that he was going to kill Valve co-founder Gabe Newell.

 

Maulbeck had posted a series of spiteful tweets at Valve following a posting error on Valve’s part that labeled Paranautical Activity as Early Access when it was, in fact, a finished product. Upon noticing the error Maulbeck, believing that this would “greatly cripple sales and confuse customers,†took to Twitter and called Valve “incompetent,†referred to Steam as an “awful fucking monopoly,†and then said in a deleted tweet, “I am going to kill gabe newell[sic]. He is going to die.â€

 

In response, Valve removed the fast-paced, roguelike FPS shooter from Steam and contacted the developer to inform Maulbeck that it would be closing down his Steam admin account and severing ties with the developer. 

 

"I have since obviously replied to them saying that I didn't mean what I said and pleaded that they consider the monopoly they have on the PC market before totally writing us off," Maulbeck said in an email he wrote to Polygon, "But let's be real. If they took the game off the store, they're fuckin sure about their decision. There's probably nothing to be done."

 

Since then, Mike Maulbeck went on to announce that he has left Code Avarice in a post on the developer’s website that states, “I’m really, deeply sorry that my short sighted, hot tempered actions resulted in not only my own dreams and aspirations being destroyed, but those of the entire team I worked with. I’m sorry that my statements made Valve and/or Gabe uncomfortable and upset (rightfully so).â€

 

Maulbeck went on to say that he has sold his half to Code Avarice co-owner Travis Pfenning and given up all rights on CA and its IPs. 

 

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However, this isn’t the first time that Maulbeck has directed harsh words and criticism towards Valve and its Steam platform. Back in June 2013, both he and Pfenning criticized Valve when Paranautical Activity was rejected for publication. The reason for its rejection was that Code Avarice had signed a deal with Adult Swim after creating a Greenlight page first; a practice that Valve prohibited. In response to the rejection, both developers went on to say that Steam had a “monopoly on the market,†that “the indie community is being ignored†by Valve, and then went on to criticize other games that had been published on Steam. 

 

While Paranautical Activity is no longer available on Steam, its Project Greenlight page is still active. 

 

What do you think of this situation and was Valve justified in pulling the game from Steam? Sound off in the comments below!

 

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