(WSVN) - Following harsh criticism and heavy online backlash, a computer video game that would allow players to re-create school shootings by stalking school hallways and racking up kills will not be released on a popular streaming site.
Valve Corporation has decided to pull “Active Shooter” from Steam, its online gaming store. The company has also removed content from the game’s publisher, ACID, and its game developer, Revived Games.
According to Valve, they determined the game’s developer and publisher is in fact a person calling himself Ata Berdiyev, who had content removed from the site last fall under different business names.
Valve released a statement following their move.
“We have removed the developer Revived Games and publisher Acid from Steam,” the statement read. “We are not going to do business with people who act like this towards our customers or Valve.”
Steam officials said they will also take a broader look into their content policies.
On Sunday, Ryan Petty, the father of 14-year-old Alaina Petty, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High student killed during the Feb. 14 mass shooting, called for the game’s release to be canceled.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High survivor Mei-ling Ho-shing is glad to hear the video game was removed.
“No one should be making a profit off of death, trauma,” said Ho-Shing.
Fred Guttenberg, who lost his daughter in the mass shooting, reacted on Twitter, “Wow, this is amazing news!!!”
Student activist David Hogg weighed in on the controversial video game. “Why put this out there? I don’t understand,” he said.
“It’s disgusting that Valve Corp. is trying to profit from the glamorization of tragedies affecting our schools across the country,” Petty, who is running for Broward County School Board, said in a statement. “Keeping our kids safe is a real issue affecting our communities and is in no way a ‘game.”‘
“Active Shooter” was set to be released June 6. It is unclear whether or not the game will find another distributor.
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