Super Seducer 2 Creator Blames #MeToo Movement for Game's Failure

When Super Seducer was first announced for PC, the weirdly intertwined game involving real-time video footage and odd dating simulation was met with confused enthusiasm. It was one of those titles that was so bad it was almost good? The sheer outlandish nature and cheesy context makes this game almost a novelty but it looks like we aren't the only ones having trouble taking it seriously.

Back in March, the controversy surrounding the cringy title was so bad, Sony removed it from its PlayStation 4 line-up. They even stated they needed to "hide this game under a rock and starve it."

From the ashes came a sequel with a female couch in an attempt to normalize the title. The sequel has not yet been released but the game's creator, Richard La Ruina, did recently sit down with GamesIndustry.biz to talk about the upcoming title and why the road has been so rocky thus far. According to Ruina, it's the #MeToo movement and a "few bad apples" that are to blame, not the game itself.

To be fair, he also admitted that the first game was nowhere near as polished as it should have been and that the overall setup was awkward and amateur. He also mentioned he wanted to make the sequel "more inclusive" following the massive backlash calling out the sexist nature of the game itself. Let's face it, it's no Leisure Suit Larry.

When talking about the controversy of the game, however, he said it wasn't fair for everyone to be thrown under the bus for a "few bad apples" or what's currently going on in Hollywood:

"If we were making the game exclusively for women, and it was women's dating tips, we'd get no heat whatsoever," Richard said. "This is the business I was in. It used to be totally mainstream and accepted. I was on all of the UK TV channels, my book was published by Harper-Collins and Random House, and it's only been a thing in the past few years where it went from being cool to teach dating tips to men to something that's just pure evil where you might easily get compared to the worst people on the planet."

When specifically discussing the #MeToo movement, he mentioned "It's definitely the #MeToo movement, and it's definitely the mistakes of some seduction gurus or pick-up artists that have done bad things," he said. "Like anything, there's a spectrum. There's reason for it. But to throw everyone under the bus because of a few bad apples, or to say that because there were some famous guys or powerful guys who took advantage and did some terrible things, that this can translate into a really nice guy approaching someone he likes in a coffee shop in a respectable way, it's a bit of a jump."

You can learn more about the upcoming sequel and how him and his wife shifted gears for the game with the full interview here. For now, the game is available on Steam for better or worse. For more about the game, as per its official description:

Super Seducer is the world's most realistic seduction simulator. It puts you in everyday scenarios (a coffee shop, the office, a bar) and lets you do practically whatever you want, to see how it plays out with beautiful women.

As you make your moves, renowned seduction guru Richard La Ruina (featured in Maxim, Men's Health, The BBC, Piers Morgan) provides you with feedback for every choice you make, delving into the psychology and the hundreds of hidden secrets that separate seduction masters from everybody else.