Valve is under investigation by the Brazilian government after a violent political game was published to Steam last week.
Valve is currently being investigated by Brazil's Public Ministry of the Federal District and Territories (MPDFT) after Bolsomito 2k18, a violent game which tasks players with purging the country of "the evils of communism" and "the growing corruption and inversion of values that plagues his society" was published to Steam last week.
The company has drawn criticism over the past few months after introducing a policy change which loosened what content could be sold on the platform.
However, it seems Bolsomito 2k18 doesn't fall under the "trolling" category (which would be grounds for the game to be removed from the marketplace), even after Valve attempted to clarify the vague term.
As reported by Eurogamer, the Brazillian government has also opened an investigation into Bolsomito 2k18's developer BS Studios with the purpose to "investigate the availability of the game "Bolsomito 2k18", created by BS Studios and distributed by Valve Corporation (Steam)."
According to the document, the investigation was opened due to the game's release "two days before the first round of the Brazilian elections," and the game's content, which "clearly intends to harm [the] Presidency of the Republic and thereby embarrass the 2018 elections" and "cause collective moral damages to the movements social, gays and feminists".
The game was inspired by the current political climate in Brazil, and both the name and player character of the game directly reference Brazilian politician Jair Bolsonaro, who has been described by Eurogamer and others as frequently using misogynistic, homophobic and racist rhetoric to sell his political agenda.
The document also states the MPDFT will notify Valve to "cease the availability of the game Bolsomito 2k18 on their gaming platform," and "identify and qualify those responsible for BS Studios".
As of this publication, Bolsomito 2k18 is still available for purchase on Steam, with Valve yet to release a statement regarding the investigation.
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