PlayStation won’t publish pickup artist game Super Seducer

Super Seducer, a game that aims to teach men how to flirt with women by removing any option for said women to escape, was set to launch on Steam and PlayStation 4 on March 6th. But though the game did arrive on Steam as promised, the console version was a no-show. According to a Sony spokesperson reached by The Verge, the game will not be coming to the PlayStation Store after all.

Neither Sony nor a representative for creator Richard La Ruina would comment on why the game won’t be released via PlayStation. However, the news — first spotted by Motherboard— isn’t all that shocking given the controversy kicked up in the short time leading up to its release. In addition to being called sleazy or just plain bad, critics have also said it normalizes stalker behavior.

Contrary to its promises to better teach men how to approach women, especially in the era of #MeToo, Super Seducer offers a tiresome and toxic view of dating. It boils down to men learning how to manipulate women through “psychological” tips and suggests that with the right series of lines, any women can be won over. “Here’s the bottom line: if you make the right choices in the game, you’ll make the right choices in your life,” the game’s Steam page promises. “It doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are, or what you look like – by the time you’re finished playing Super Seducer you’ll be able to attract and keep women who previously seemed unattainable.” Unlike the Xbox or PlayStation store, Steam has notoriously lax policies about which games it accepts on its platform.

In a previous interview, La Ruina told The Verge he was interested in taking Super Seducer to platforms beyond its initial release, though its viability on consoles now seems doubtful. In a press release for the game, La Ruina voiced interest in continuing to explore beyond this initial release. “Who knows, if Super Seducer does well, we have lots of ideas for a sequel that explores dating advice for women and those in the LGBTQ+ community.”