In today’s Daily Fix: Valve cracks down on explicit games on steam, quietly removing them from the library after some policy changes. Remedy announces major changes to its Control shooter, FBC: Firebreak just a month after its release.

Valve has recently taken action to remove numerous sexually explicit titles from its Steam platform. This follows an update to its rules and guidelines, which now prohibit content that may violate the standards of Steam's payment processors, card networks, banks, or internet providers. The decision comes after public criticism earlier in the year over a graphic visual novel that included non-consensual sexual content, which was subsequently removed from sale in several countries.

Some in the gaming community have raised concerns that the new policy could be overly broad, potentially leading to the censorship of games with adult themes. However, there is no indication that popular mainstream titles with mature content, such as Cyberpunk 2077 or Baldur's Gate 3, will be affected by these changes.

Valve cracks down on ‘Adults Only’ Steam games

Hey, welcome back to another episode of The Daily Fix, I'm Kayla and today, Valve cracks down on explicit games, Remedy's FBC firebreak is getting a major overhaul, and the first video game popcorn bucket sold out in hours. Let's jump in. Valve is cleaning up steam. Over the past week, dozens of sexually explicit titles have been quietly removed from the platform. Valve updated its rules and guidelines, adding a new clause that now explicitly states, quote, content that may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam's payment processors and related card networks and banks or internet network providers shouldn't be posted on Steam. As spotted by GameSpark, the Steam DB log showed a long list of adult games that were recently taken down. And based on some of the titles alone, I don't think anyone's going to try and argue that these were tasteful or artistic. This move comes after a major controversy earlier this year when a UK official publicly criticized Steam for hosting a graphic visual novel that included non-consensual sexual content. The game was pulled from sale in several countries after the developer eventually agreed to take it down. Some are raising concerns, though, saying the new policy is vague and could lead to over-censorship of games with adult themes. But something tells me Valve isn't about to nerf the spiciness in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur's Gate 3. Moving on, Remedy says it's making the first-person shooter and control spinoff FBC Firebreak more fun so you don't have to leave within the hour, promising big changes to the game. This comes after Remedy posted a candid statement last month acknowledging, quote, not everything had gone well following FBC Firebreak's mid-June release. Quote, we've seen many players come into the game and leave within the first hour. And that's because our first hour can be frustrating. You feel ineffective and confused as to what to do. This needs to be improved. Remedy wants to add a narrative onboarding that helps new players understand the control universe and their place in it while still keeping those who have played the game in mind. Also, it plans to add better tutorials to teach the core mechanics and features while still leaving a few secrets to find. The developer also acknowledged the guns feel too weak early on, so the plan is to, quote, start players with a playable and powerful version of everything a Firebreak needs from the beginning. To do this, Remedy is developing a mod system to let you tweak your weapons as well as making some changes to the job system. Expect more details as we get closer to September, which is when the first big update is expected to drop, with another one planned this winter. And finally, limited-edition popcorn buckets have become a popular collector's item among moviegoers, and now gamers are getting in on it too. Alamo Draft House revealed a popcorn bucket based on the upcoming PS5 game Ghost of Yotei, and it sold out hours after it was available for pre-order, which means none of us even had a chance. Selling for $40 on Alamo Mart, the hand-painted bucket was designed by Sony's own artist to look like a traditional Japanese rice basket. The release was meant to coincide with Alamo Draft House's Way of the Samurai film series, a curated selection of five classic movies that helped shape the samurai genre and influence Sucker Punch's upcoming game. Screenings will be held throughout August at select Alamo Draft House theaters. All of these movies are classics, but my producer Joe Bird would like to recommend 13 Assassins by Takashi Miike, because he says this movie specifically is quote, badass. And also Akira Kurosawa's Ron, because you can't go wrong with a Kurosawa samurai movie. It's worth noting that Ghost of Yotei features special game modes paying homage to those directors. Kurosawa mode, which was also in Ghost of Tsushima, adds a high-contrast black and white filter with increased wind effects, and the newly added Miike mode, which adds more blood and mud during combat, plus a tighter camera angle reminiscent of some of the director's films. Sony Pictures Entertainment bought Alamo Draft House last year, and it's cool to see some collaboration with PlayStation. We've all gotten used to the wild popcorn buckets from Hollywood movies. Remember Last Year's Deadpool and Wolverine bucket that let you eat out of Wolverine's head? Or the infamous Dune II bucket? Let's not forget about the new $80 Fantastic Four, First Step's Galactus head. It's nice to see video games getting in on this, too, even if buttered popcorn while gaming is a recipe for a greasy controller. What other video game popcorn buckets would you like to see in the theaters? Oh my god, Geralt's bath full of popcorn instead. You know? So he's taking a swim in popcorn. Okay, anyway, let me know if you guys like that idea. Would it come with a Geralt? Of course it would come with a Geralt. Yes, it would come with a Geralt. It has to come with Geralt. And those are your stories for today, Friday, July 18th. Now is a great time to score some incredible games through Humble. Live now through August 5th, grab Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader, Daemon X Machina, Death's Door, Cat Quest 3, and more. Whether you're building your backlog or discovering something new, it's the perfect time to pick up these fan favorites. Plus, every purchase supports a good cause. This month, your Humble Choice membership supports Covenant House. Get a curated mix of PC games every month, all for just $14.99 a month. Skip a month or cancel any time and know that 5% of your membership goes to charity. And a special bonus, Humble is actually running a deal on this bundle, so use code JULY25 to get this month's selection for only $10. And make sure to tune in to our Comic Con coverage next Friday and Saturday. We'll have new looks at Predator Badlands, Alien Earth, Peacemaker, King of the Hill, Toxic Avenger, Twisted Metal, and more, starting at 3pm PST, Friday, July 25th and Saturday, July 26th. Now that you're all caught up on the news, go check out IGN's latest next-gen console watch. I'm Kayla, thanks for watching today's fix, and I'll see you guys on the next one.

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