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Denpasoft also disables steam keys


Dergonu

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So yesterday Denpasoft made a news post on their site saying that they too will be closing their steam key sales, though unlike Mangagamer it seems they will be disabling all the steam keys that were apperantly stolen.

Here is a copy paste of the news post.

"Complementary Steam keys removed from titles

We have to remove Steam keys from titles that had Steam key support. Roughly $30,000 worth of keys were stolen from us and we will be contacting Valve to disable the keys that were fraudulently obtained. We’re sorry for the inconvenience but we must protect our relationship with our credit card processor or else we will not be able to offer adult games in the future."

 

Whether this is linked to the same thing that happened to Mangagamer is hard to say. It seems to be a little bit of a different situation. Either way, it seems that problems like this is quite common right now.

I hope both Denpasoft and Mangagamer can get out of this unscathed, though we'll see how it goes.

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I remember the days when Steam had security checking system, but those days are long gone.

30,000 dollars amounts to about 1000 keys stolen, which is a rather ridiculous amount.

I think the only game which offered complementary Steam keys was Sunrider, so that's that.

It's a real shame that this is happening in such a niche market, and I know a lot of people are only buying VNs because of the complementary keys, so this is going to narrow the market down even more, which isn't good.

When will the bad news end? Who knows? I don't.

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LOL these frauds got screwed with MG so they all went to Denpasoft now. Bet they'll just find a new target again.... Bet my money it's on JAST next.

I personally don't give a fuck about Steam at this point. I'd rather have a physical copy or an 18+ copy than their baby ass version for kids. 

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2 hours ago, SilverLi said:

I'm worried about JAST now. I was looking forward to Seinarukana on Steam and 18+ physical edition. Because it is different content in the both versions.

As far as I know, JAST/J-List only provides Steam keys with physical copies, and I suspect they're included in the box itself.  That would present a significant barrier to fraud.  I wonder if JAST crafted its Steam key policy with these dangers in mind?

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2 hours ago, CeruleanGamer said:

LOL these frauds got screwed with MG so they all went to Denpasoft now. Bet they'll just find a new target again.... Bet my money it's on JAST next.

I personally don't give a fuck about Steam at this point. I'd rather have a physical copy or an 18+ copy than their baby ass version for kids. 

lol wow. Arent you all big and growed up

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1 hour ago, sanahtlig said:

As far as I know, JAST/J-List only provides Steam keys with physical copies, and I suspect they're included in the box itself.  That would present a significant barrier to fraud.  I wonder if JAST crafted its Steam key policy with these dangers in mind?

I don't know for certain about this since I do not open my physical copies usually because JAST in particular will send out digital game keys for them. These are digital keys for their own storefront rather than Steam keys.

However, for MangaGamer my copy of Cho Dengeki Stryker came with a Steam key in the box. So it seems they'll keep that up in the future. I do wonder if Denpasoft might do that with their upcoming physical copies of Nekopara Vol. 2. Nekopara Vol. 1 certainly didn't offer as much. 

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I find it absolutely hilarious that western VN releases have no idea what they are doing and that this market is and always will be a mess thanks to conservative porn laws in countries around the world. I love that everyone is trying to find a method that works, but every single time there's some stupid loophole/problem that arises thanks to the law or thanks to some idiots who ruin it for everyone. No matter how much you think VNs being released with some adult content will change views on the laws of porn outside of Japan, this genre is not going to be the turning point that changes the rules. Japanese culture has always viewed pornography different than the rest of the world, and because of those differences, it makes it such a ridiculous hassle to release their content elsewhere.

I get that they are trying, but at this point Steam should be removed from the picture. I understand that it's a platform that will draw attention to certain games, but it should honestly be used for OEVLNs/indie developers only. People who love visual novels already know about their localization; putting it on Steam doesn't promote it anymore because the people that actually want the game know about it. And I understand that there are simplistic reasons for putting it up there, but I feel it's just making things worse thanks to dumb people and salty morons.

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37 minutes ago, OriginalRen said:

I get that they are trying, but at this point Steam should be removed from the picture. I understand that it's a platform that will draw attention to certain games, but it should honestly be used for OEVLNs/indie developers only. People who love visual novels already know about their localization; putting it on Steam doesn't promote it anymore because the people that actually want the game know about it. And I understand that there are simplistic reasons for putting it up there, but I feel it's just making things worse thanks to dumb people and salty morons.

Like it or not, the Steam audience represents a substantial untapped market for eroge.  Winged Cloud's success, particularly with titles like Sakura Swim Club, shows this.  I know this from analyzing the sources of traffic for my Sakura Swim Club article.  I know this because these people click my affiliate links and actually buy stuff.

I think part of the reason for Winged Cloud's success is that they've seized onto the coattails of the rising sex-positive / GamerGate movement that is rallying against demonization of sex in video games and sexual content.  People don't support their games so much as they support what they stand for.  If other English publishers can establish themselves as rallying beacons for these types of people, they could stand to profit.  MiKandi Japan managed to do this with some degree of success.  If people view a publisher as just another faceless company trying to take their money, they'll ignore it or pirate.  If they see the company as standing for something greater, a cause they believe in, they're much more likely to get behind it--even if the product isn't exactly what they want.

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3 hours ago, CeruleanGamer said:

 

LOL these frauds got screwed with MG so they all went to Denpasoft now. Bet they'll just find a new target again.... Bet my money it's on JAST next.

I personally don't give a fuck about Steam at this point. I'd rather have a physical copy or an 18+ copy than their baby ass version for kids. 

 

I don't think that's the point though, i know no one here or probably no one here cares about the shitty all ages versions offered on steam. There fore if they get taken away it doesn't matter but it also means less exposure for vn's in general...wether you love or hate all ages versions they're the ones that get seen and bought by most newb vn readers who discover vn's though steam and without them on steam it'd put a dent on the exposure that vn's have in the market nowadays

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1 hour ago, sanahtlig said:

Like it or not, the Steam audience represents a substantial untapped market for eroge.  Winged Cloud's success, particularly with titles like Sakura Swim Club, shows this.  I know this from analyzing the sources of traffic for my Sakura Swim Club article.  I know this because these people click my affiliate links and actually buy stuff.

I think part of the reason for Winged Cloud's success is that they've seized onto the coattails of the rising sex-positive / GamerGate movement that is rallying against demonization of sex in video games and sexual content.  People don't support their games so much as they support what they stand for.  If other English publishers can establish themselves as rallying beacons for these types of people, they could stand to profit.  MiKandi Japan managed to do this with some degree of success.  If people view a publisher as just another faceless company trying to take their money, they'll ignore it or pirate.  If they see the company as standing for something greater, a cause they believe in, they're much more likely to get behind it--even if the product isn't exactly what they want.

The issue here is that Winged Cloud is successful because it catered to porn fanatics. Every review of those games revolves around dank memes and trolling remarks of how the game is a "beautiful masterpiece, would fap again." That in turn causes any other game that is an OEVLN/independent to be viewed as a joke, and those that do manage to get a serious review and/or audience are still just tiny pips that are overpriced or get no attention. In other words, the people who praise the games that are taken seriously on Steam are still fans of VNs to begin with, which really isn't "drawing" a crowd.

In addition, all of the reviews on the staple Steam releases are positive. If you even think that making a serious review about how you disliked a game (i.e. = Clannad, Grisaia) is going to fly with the fans on Steam, you're going to be ripped to shreds by butt hurt fans. This is clearly evident on some of the Fuwareviews we have posted, so you can bet your ass it's the same over there. You don't diss Clannad, it's perfect. :Teeku:

As for your last comment about funding something they know will get money, that's not true at all. People still blindly preorder games on Steam knowing there is no bonus and the game can be shit. A perfect example of this is Sega's Aliens: Colonial Marines or to some degree, Fallout 4. An even better example relating to this specific topic are the Winged Cloud games. Only after a game falls through the roof do they realize they want their money back and that they were idiots. In other words, people will blindly fund anything regardless of how much they believe in it, especially if the art is from a Japanese artist (not from DeviantArt) and has erotic cock-teasing material.

Overall, I'm not saying Steam is bad, but it's not being used for the right reasons.

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1 hour ago, OriginalRen said:

I get that they are trying, but at this point Steam should be removed from the picture. I understand that it's a platform that will draw attention to certain games, but it should honestly be used for OEVLNs/indie developers only. People who love visual novels already know about their localization; putting it on Steam doesn't promote it anymore because the people that actually want the game know about it. And I understand that there are simplistic reasons for putting it up there, but I feel it's just making things worse thanks to dumb people and salty morons.

The problem isn't releasing the VN on Steam, it's selling or giving away keys for Steam through venues other than Steam itself. Putting a game, any game on Steam vastly increases the amount of exposure the game gets, simply because of how many users Steam has. It doesn't matter if most Steam users who aren't already into VNs don't take an interest in it when they happen upon it - the small fraction that does is still big enough to sell a significant amount of copies. Significant in terms of Western VN sales, anyway.

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13 minutes ago, KuroganeHomura said:

The problem isn't releasing the VN on Steam, it's selling or giving away keys for Steam through venues other than Steam itself. Putting a game, any game on Steam vastly increases the amount of exposure the game gets, simply because of how many users Steam has. It doesn't matter if most Steam users who aren't already into VNs don't take an interest in it when they happen upon it - the small fraction that does is still big enough to sell a significant amount of copies. Significant in terms of Western VN sales, anyway.

I can understand that, but then I feel that the only reason they vastly push the Steam release is for the money. We all know Clannad does not need exposure whatsoever; that anime is known all over the world. In the end it's only about the money, which if that is true I am absolutely fine with, but at least just admit it straight up. I mean we all know Love Live Sunshine is only being made for the money and that most Japanese PC games only care about the money in a dying market, so I don't see why it's any different here.

Personally, I just dislike people who are trying to make some big message out of all of this. It's only ever been about money. That's it, plain and simple. It's that way in Japan, it's the same way here. OEVLNs and indie games might be a different story, but those are the only exceptions.

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I don't think they're necessarily being dishonest about it, though? Like, of course it's about the money, they're businesses who wish to make as much money off their trade as they can. I don't think they ever said anything to the contrary. But I also don't really understands how this contradicts the other claims people make. These games sell better on Steam than off Steam, and this means that there's a large market there for these Japanese VNs that was previously untapped, and they represent a way to expand the medium and to encourage more Japanese companies to consider localization. This goes hand in hand with the money thing.

Also,

7 hours ago, OriginalRen said:

 People who love visual novels already know about their localization; putting it on Steam doesn't promote it anymore because the people that actually want the game know about it.

This is a very bad attitude to have about this kind of thing. Do you really think there aren't a lot of people who could fall in love with VNs who don't already know about them? That there's no room for expansion? The fact that these Japanese VNs have done so well on Steam has kind of already proven this wrong. You're kind of claiming that the people on Steam don't love these games, or don't appreciate them on the same level that you do, and that somehow makes them less worthy customers, or something? I don't see this as being the case at all. 

I think your attitude only leads to stagnation. 

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I dont like being put in the same category as those Steam all-ages loving weeaboo pleebs who know nothing about a great visual novel and just writing reviews filled with dank memes to get funny/positive marks and comments.

So yeah, like OriginalRun, I consider these motherfuckers lower than dirt and they give visual novels a bad name for their attitude towards our favorite Japanese entertainment medium.

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Just now, CeruleanGamer said:

I dont like being put in the same category as those Steam all-ages loving weeaboo pleebs who know nothing about a great visual novel and just writing reviews filled with dank memes to get funny/positive marks and comments.

So yeah, like OriginalRun, I consider these motherfuckers lower than dirt and they give visual novels a bad name for their attitude towards our favorite Japanese entertainment medium.

Exactly. These Steam only fags are ruining the name of a really good medium that gets unfairly overlooked by a lot of people. The people who have only played the Sakura series and Nekopara and think they're amazing because of the fanservice. Don't these morons know you can get fanservice as well as a great story? Where the fanservice goes further than simple bikini and panty shots? Their laziness must be american level if they can't figure that out. :amane:

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7 hours ago, sanahtlig said:

I think part of the reason for Winged Cloud's success is that they've seized onto the coattails of the rising sex-positive / GamerGate movement that is rallying against demonization of sex in video games and sexual content. 

Uh, GamerGate has nothing to do with it. Sakura fans are essentially just the group of people who watch ecchi anime. They're a group that has been around long before GamerGate. The only game that probably received more sales because of GamerGate was Huniepop, because the creator was basically one of them. 

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3 minutes ago, Decay said:

You are literally no better than them. Conversely, I'd actually like to think of more ways for Fuwanovel to reach out to Steam and maybe get more people from there to visit the site.

Why dont you lead or show us how it's done? You seem to be white knighting these Steam morons all day today. They dont deserve any respect for bad mouthing visual novels by just calling it "tits and ass" game.

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1 minute ago, Decay said:

You are literally no better than them. Conversely, I'd actually like to think of more ways for Fuwanovel to reach out to Steam and maybe get more people from there to visit the site.

I'd rather not have them bring their Sakura loving bullshit into these forums.

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