The Trailer For Code Violet, a Game That Won't Be on PC Because of "Vulgar" Mods, Was Captured on PC

By now, you've probably already heard about Code Violet, TeamKill Media's recently announced third-person action horror game that instantly captured the gaming community's attention – not for its graphics, story, or gameplay, but rather for its developer's tone-deaf remark, which was swiftly and overwhelmingly criticized over on Twitter.

If you haven't heard yet, here's some context: the controversy stems from the team's explanation for making the game a PlayStation 5 exclusive, with no plans for a PC release. While it's entirely up to developers to decide which platforms to prioritize, many found TeamKill's stated reason – concerns over "vulgar" mods that could sexualize the game's characters – nothing short of absurd.

While the apprehension derives from the team's desire to hold "voice actresses and actors with high regard," protect the "artistic vision," and defend "the reputation of our voice actresses and actors" – priorities, I believe, most would view as understandable – the decision not to release the game on PC, a platform that has recently surpassed consoles in terms of game sales, because of them was widely ridiculed, partly due to the baseless assumption that anyone was planning to create "vulgar" mods for Code Violet in the first place, but mostly because such a move is ultimately futile, as determined modders won't be stopped by the lack of an official PC release.

And that would've been the end of it if it weren't for one small caveat hidden in the game's trailer. First noticed by Twitter user @malquis1, the caveat in question is a line of text revealing that the footage featured in Code Violet's announcement trailer was actually captured on PC, making the team's anti-PC stance seem questionable, if not hypocritical.

When this was pointed out to TeamKill, the devs attempted to defend themselves by stating that "all games are created on a PC or Mac," which, while mostly true, for some reason ignores the fact that "creating" a game and preparing footage for its trailer are two different things. Here's, for example, a gameplay trailer for Astro Bot – also a PS5 exclusive – that was captured on the appropriate console:

"But it's a gameplay trailer, while Code Violet's is merely an announcement trailer!" Alright, here's an announcement trailer for Ghost of Yōtei that uses PlayStation 5 footage:

Here's one for Rise of the Ronin, also PS5:

And here are both the teaser and gameplay trailers for Quantum Error, a game also developed by TeamKill Media, and as you might have guessed, both were captured on the console:

Speaking of Quantum Error, the 2023 game was met with crickets, with both gamers and critics agreeing on giving it "Generally Unfavorable" reviews, scoring around 3.8-4.0/10. With that in mind, TeamKill's remark may indeed be a PR stunt designed to generate attention after an unremarkable release, as some have suggested, and given that the original tweet garnered over a million more views than the announcement trailer itself, a successful stunt at that.

And what do you think about the studio's views? Was it a PR stunt or a genuine, albeit questionable, concern about actors? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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