No Mercy is a game that has caused quite a stir during its short time on Steam. The game was removed by Valve less than a month after its release.
The title image is a symbolic image, not assets from the game.
What kind of game is this? “No Mercy” describes itself as a “decision-driven visual novel in 3D for adults.” According to the developers, the focus is on “incest and male dominance.” There is also a storyline of sorts: after the game character uncovers his mother’s infidelity, he embarks on a quest to “claim” all women.
The game was released on March 22, 2025, on Steam, which was sharply criticized. A petition to ban No Mercy worldwide from the platform gathered more than 18,000 signatures on change.org. Peter Kyle, the UK Minister for Science, Innovation, and Technology, described the game as “deeply troubling” and demanded its immediate removal.
Valve seemingly complied with the request, as the game disappeared first in the UK, as well as Australia and Canada from Steam. On April 10, 2025, the developers finally gave up completely.
Developers defend their game
What do the developers say? In a statement on the Steam page for No Mercy, the developers defended their game. While real incest is “disgusting,” the themes dealt with in the game are still popular “kinks,” or sexual preferences that deviate from the norm.
“People should really do what they want as long as it doesn’t harm anyone,” said Zerat Games.
If after reading [our explanation] you still believe that such a game should not have been developed, we sincerely apologize to you. At the same time, we would like to ask you to be a bit more open-minded about human fetishes that do not harm anyone, even if they may seem disgusting to you. This is still just a game, and although many people try to make more of it, it remains a game and will continue to be one.
Zerat Games via Kotaku
The developers also confirmed that the game would be removed from Steam: “We do not intend to fight against the whole world.” It was further stated that they do not wish to cause problems for Valve and Steam.
The Steam page and thus the statement is no longer available in Germany.
However, this is probably not a huge loss, as 404 Media reports, No Mercy was primarily shovelware, cobbled together from rigid 3D models and countless lines of nonsensical dialogue. Shovelware is a derogatory term for low-quality software designed to recoup production costs in large volumes.
The only reason anyone is even talking about the game is that the characters are labeled as “mother” and “son.”
According to SteamDB, No Mercy peaked at 487 players on Thursday evening, probably attracted by the excitement surrounding the game. Even now, 167 players are still logged in (as of: 11.04.2025, 9:45 a.m.). Despite its removal from the store, the game remains available in the libraries of players who have already purchased it.
Valve is already considered extremely generous regarding explicit content on Steam, except in Germany, where there are high barriers. Nevertheless, there are still games that manage to cross the limits of what is permissible. Particularly in Germany, games with adult content quickly disappear from the platform – one of them even disturbed MeinMMO demon Cortyn: Succubus is the most disturbing game I have ever played
