In yet another gut punch to fans of classic Japanese games, publisher City Connection has scrapped the Xbox One releases of Steam-Heart’s Saturn Tribute and Advanced Variable Geo Saturn Tribute.
The reason? Microsoft reportedly pushed for “significant alterations” to the games’ content in order to comply with its increasingly restrictive platform policies, policies that have become notorious for clamping down on fan service, attractive character designs, and anything with a hint of heterosexual sensuality. Rather than bow to censorship, City Connection chose to cancel the Xbox versions outright, calling Microsoft’s demands unacceptable.
The PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC versions are still on schedule for their May 29, 2025 release.
Originally released for the PC-98 in the early ’90s, Steam-Heart’s (1994) and Variable Geo (1993) were developed by Technical Group Laboratory (TGL) and its adult game label Giga. Both titles are cult classics known for fusing solid gameplay with erotic content.
Steam-Heart’s delivers fast-paced bullet hell action, while Variable Geo serves up 2D fighting with a provocative twist, both featuring explicit CG scenes that include nudity, sexual acts, and heavily alluring character designs
The versions being emulated in these Tribute editions are based on the later console ports, such as Variable Geo on the TurboGrafx-CD (renamed Advanced Variable Geo) and SEGA Saturn releases which came years afterwards, all of which were censored to comply with platform standards.
In the Saturn version of Steam-Heart’s, explicit scenes were redrawn to be merely suggestive, stripping out nudity.
Middle: TurboGrafx-16
Right: SEGA Saturn
Meanwhile, Advanced Variable Geo swapped its original hentai cutscenes for slightly more tamer “humiliation” imagery, like clothing damage, and even included a content toggle for mature themes, a feature that isn’t present within Advanced Variable Geo Saturn Tribute. Both games still received mature ratings, but were significantly toned down compared to their fully uncut PC-98 counterparts.
The Saturn version of Steam-Heart’s redrew explicit cutscenes to be less graphic, cropping or airbrushing nudity, while Advanced Variable Geo replaced hentai scenes with milder “humiliation” imagery, such as clothing damage, and included a toggle to disable suggestive content.
Both carried mature ratings but were toned down compared to their PC-98 originals for home console audiences, unfortunately rather than staying true to the original rendition City Connection are instead paying homage to their console ports instead.
City Connection’s Saturn Tribute project set out to faithfully revive the original Saturn ports, preserving their core experience while making light adjustments for modern platforms.
As stated on the Steam store page for STEAM-HEART’S Saturn Tribute, the “sensual scenes have been thoughtfully adapted for a modern revival, respecting the heroines’ privacy while maintaining the essence of the classic” which is just a fancy way of saying there’s no nudity present.
However, Microsoft’s additional demands for the Xbox One version crossed a line City Connection wasn’t willing to accept, especially considering the game already excludes sexual themes and nudity. But under Sarah Bond’s vision for the Xbox brand, one that’s been rapidly losing relevance in the home console market, it seems the priority is scrubbing out any trace of attractive women, especially those in revealing outfits.
Microsoft’s push for additional changes reflects its broader Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) agenda, an initiative that’s faced growing backlash from consumers.
Under its “product inclusion framework,” the company actively discourages the depiction of attractive female characters or suggestive content in games. This framework likely played a key role in the cancellation as City Connection stated that Microsoft’s requirements would necessitate “significant changes to the expression of the game.”
Those changes almost certainly targeted the games’ remaining fanservice visual elements. Though already toned down in the Saturn ports, these features remain core to each game’s identity. City Connection’s decision to walk away rather than comply mirrors the stance taken by other developers unwilling to gut their games to meet ever-shifting platform standards.
Back in December 2020, Inti Creates canceled the Xbox version of GalGun Returns, a remake of the XBOX 360 exclusive risqué rail shooter after Microsoft imposed censorship demands. The studio had already abandoned plans for a PlayStation release due to Sony’s increasingly strict global content policies, instead choosing to focus on platforms with fewer restrictions.
City Connection’s move echoes the growing frustration among Japanese developers who see Western platform holders as enforcing excessive, culturally tone-deaf censorship to placate towards modern audiences and global standards.
While the Saturn editions of Steam-Heart’s and Advanced Variable Geo were already toned down from their PC-98 originals, they still contained enough mature content to warrant 18+ or yellow-label ratings in Japan, though with the introduction of rating boards like Japan’s CERO and the ESRB, times have changed.
Microsoft’s push for even more alterations highlights a wider pattern of Western publishers tightening their grip under the banner of DEI or ESG initiatives. This trend has been spotlighted with Microsoft’s exclusion of attractive female characters from promotional materials for games like Ninja Gaiden 2 Black.
For fans, the cancellation comes with mixed feelings. Steam-Heart’s Saturn Tribute and Advanced Variable Geo Saturn Tribute are finally seeing an international release, but they’re based on the censored Saturn versions rather than the original, unfiltered PC-98 editions, something that has undoubtedly disappointed purists as they can only be accessed via emulation only in Japanese.
This “modern revival” approach often comes with compromises, toning down content to align with current cultural expectations, as seen with visual novel remakes that remove nudity integral to their original charm and fame. Microsoft’s additional restrictions only added to the issue, prompting City Connection to cancel the Xbox versions in order to preserve as much creative integrity as possible.
When a revival strays too far from its core appeal, it risks alienating fans and losing its identity. Steam-Heart’s and Advanced Variable Geo gained cult status in Japan for their bold eroge origins. Though console ports toned down the content, they preserved enough grit to connect with Japanese fans.
Now, as Microsoft, Sony, and even Nintendo tighten content restrictions under the guise of “inclusivity,” many fans see these moves as performative, driven by ESG investment pressures and social reprogramming rather than genuine values, especially given the rise in adult-oriented themes in gaming revolving around homosexuality which gets a free pass.
This trend alienates fans who crave authenticity, mourning the dilution of games’ core essence already softened by previous console ports and now potentially facing further erosion. City Connection’s defiance of Microsoft’s restrictions champions creative freedom, but it highlights a broader issue: major industry players are more intent on reshaping art than truly honoring it.
Steam-Heart’s Saturn Tribute and Advanced Variable Geo Saturn Tribute are still set to launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC on May 29, 2025.
