German regulators have launched an investigation into Steam, the world’s largest digital gaming platform, following the release of a controversial game that depicted the whipping of black slaves on a cotton plantation in the pre-Civil War American South. The game, titled Plantation Simulator, was made available on Steam on Friday and sparked immediate backlash for its offensive content and portrayal of racial violence.

In Plantation Simulator, players assume the role of a white overseer tasked with whipping enslaved people to maintain productivity while avoiding causing death. The game features basic graphics and gameplay mechanics, but its subject matter prompted widespread condemnation from critics and members of the gaming community. Keith Mitchell, founder of the gaming blog The Outerhaven and a Black commentator, described the game as a deliberate provocation that should not be tolerated on the platform. He urged Valve, the company behind Steam, to remove the game, stating that turning the abuse and killing of enslaved Black people into a game crosses an unacceptable line.

Following the public outcry, Steam’s German version removed the game. The developer, identified only by the pseudonym FzzyBzzy and self-described as a creator of “the worst games known to humanity,” later altered the game’s visual elements by changing the enslaved characters’ skin color to white and replacing the whip with a chain of hearts. Some observers suggested the game might have been intended as satire, though this has not been confirmed.

The German Federal Network Agency, responsible for internet regulation, is now assessing whether Steam violated the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA mandates that large online platforms implement clear and accessible mechanisms for users to report potentially unlawful content, and it requires platform operators to review such reports diligently. The regulator emphasized that its inquiry centers not on the legality of Plantation Simulator itself or the changes made by the developer but on Valve’s compliance with its statutory responsibilities as a platform operator.

Valve has historically maintained a permissive stance on content moderation, allowing nearly all games unless they are deemed illegal or constitute overt trolling. As of now, Valve has not issued a statement regarding the investigation.

The developer FzzyBzzy has released at least seven other basic games, many featuring themes involving "femboys," zombies, or a combination of both. The investigation highlights ongoing tensions around content moderation responsibilities for digital platforms under evolving European regulations.