Google has removed Dodge Club Pocket from the Google Play store citing the minor appearance of exposed cleavage as the problem. Developer James Montagna posted up the letter from Google for Warhorn Studios’ mobile puzzle game, indicating that the platform holder had removed the game for violating their content policy. The crime? Cleavage. decolletage
The tweet from Montagna was originally posted up on June 17th, 2019, where he stated that support for the Android version would likely be discontinued. He then shared the image from the Google Play support staff who explained that the portrayal of real-life, simulated, or fantasy subjects that contain clothing that provides “excessively tight, or minimal coverage of breasts, buttocks, or genitalia” is what got the game pulled from the store.
Google Play Review Team… Get real dudes there’s Disney characters more naked pic.twitter.com/FUGXqTNq7H
— James Montagna (@JamesPopStar) June 18, 2019
I don’t have the bandwidth to go through and censor everything right now so Dodge Club Pocket is only available on Nintendo 3DS eShop and the App Store for the time being
— James Montagna (@JamesPopStar) June 18, 2019
If you’re curious what exactly it was that Google found issue with, you can view the image below.
Montagna would later tweet that he attempted to appeal Google’s decision to remove the game from the Google Play store for the almost infinitesimal amounts of cleavage on display from one of the characters that appear in the game.
However, when Google responded noting that they would have to change the character’s outfit, Montagna responded on June 18th, 2019 stating that he wasn’t going to change the character Speck or her outfit.
I tried to appeal and they doubled down and attached this image haha…
I’m not changing Speck’s outfit 😤 pic.twitter.com/yTFpFHz4si
— James Montagna (@JamesPopStar) June 18, 2019
This isn’t new, and this isn’t the first time Google has done this.
This is part of an increasing wave of censorship that many companies have been endorsing and employing recently, as noted by YouTuber Matt Wenger.
Google, in particular, has been targeting games with the most innocuous amounts of fictional female exposure and either removing the games from the storefront or forcing the developers to censor their titles. It gained some widespread attention when they removed the ArtStation app because it featured a scroll feed of some of the artists’ work and one of the images was considered to be too risque for Google, even though their own bot for identifying sexual imagery said the image was safe for work.
Nevertheless, Google removed the ArtStation app, much to the disappointment of the site runners.
They also removed the Vera Blanc games from the Google Play store because one of the images for the titular character contained a small bit of cleavage. So in order to keep the game on the Google Play store they were forced to evaluate censoring the images.
Another developer named Aquatrax had a music-rhythm game on Google Play called Zyon, but Google had it removed because they claimed one of the characters was dressed too risque.
James Montagna, however, seemed to be in good enough spirits despite Google censoring the game from the storefront for a rather ridiculous reason. He even tagged in Limited Run Games in hopes of getting a physical copy up and out for the Nintendo 3DS.
Personally I’d be delighted to work with @LimitedRunGames on a physical release of Dodge Club Pocket (we even made box art for the idea of a physical release) but I am not sure if they are doing 3DS games right now! pic.twitter.com/YICiVq6RDH
— James Montagna (@JamesPopStar) June 20, 2019
I’m sure the more profitable option would be teaming with Limited Run Games for a physical release on the Nintendo Switch. Now that’s where the money is.
Dodge Club Pocket is still currently available on the Nintendo eShop for the 3DS and on the iTunes App Store for Apple smart devices.
(Thanks for the news tip Animatic and Ebicentre)