KaniPro Games announced on December 22, 2025 that Hong Kong 2097, the official sequel to the legendarily offensive 1995 bootleg SNES game Hong Kong 97, will not be coming to Steam after failing its third review with Valve. The reason? After weeks of silence from Steam, the developers discovered they didn’t have proper rights to extensive third-party content scattered throughout the game. The Steam page has been retired, and KaniPro now explores alternative platforms like itch.io, GOG, and DLsite for the Q1 2026 release of their proudly indecent twin-stick shooter.
The Game Nobody Asked For But Everyone Wanted
Hong Kong 97 earned its reputation as one of the worst games ever made through deliberate effort. Creator Yoshihisa Kowloon Kurosawa designed it specifically to be the worst game possible, featuring offensive content, a real corpse photo as the game over screen, and gameplay so broken it became legendary. The 1995 bootleg SNES cartridge sold approximately 30 copies before internet fascination transformed it into a cult phenomenon. The Angry Video Game Nerd’s coverage cemented its status as gaming’s most notorious trainwreck.
Hong Kong 2097 reunites KaniPro Games with Kurosawa himself for an official sequel 30 years later. The game brings back protagonist Chin, described as an extremely powerful though unspecified relative of Bruce Lee, for another round of deliberately absurd chaos. This time God tasks Chin with wiping out the population of fictional country Amurikka to establish a utopia. The Steam description proudly advertised features like using fentanyl as a weapon and collecting 20 different soiled undies as a card collection mechanic.
Three Strikes and You’re Out
KaniPro first submitted Hong Kong 2097 for Steam approval weeks ago, only to fail the initial review. The developers anticipated potential issues given their game’s proudly offensive content and openly acknowledged they might face hiccups. A second submission also got rejected. After resubmitting a third time, Valve went completely silent for two weeks before finally revealing the deal-breaker: extensive third-party content the developers didn’t have proper licensing rights to use.
The situation reached absurd territory when KaniPro tweeted their frustration at Steam’s gatekeeping. One message read: Oh for god’s sake! Come on Steam, you guys are busting my balls here for no reason. There’s no nudity (at least not with anything visible), the game’s perfectly playable from start to finish, LET ME RELEASE HONG KONG 2097! Another tweet lamented being stuck in gamedev limbo with a totally finished game they couldn’t distribute because Steam wouldn’t respond for two weeks before ultimately rejecting it entirely.
What Actually Got The Game Banned
The third-party content issue represents the actual reason Hong Kong 2097 got banned from Steam, not the offensive content everyone assumed would cause problems. KaniPro used various unlicensed materials throughout development, including graphics, possibly music, and other assets they didn’t have distribution rights for. When Valve conducted its final review, they flagged the extensive third-party usage that violated Steam’s content policy regarding intellectual property rights.
This creates genuinely funny irony. Hong Kong 2097 features gun penises, fentanyl weapons, soiled undies as collectibles, and proudly offensive political commentary. Those elements apparently didn’t bother Valve. What stopped distribution? Copyright infringement. The developers made a deliberately tasteless game testing every boundary of acceptable content, only to get tripped up by not securing proper licensing for background assets. It’s like planning a bank heist and getting arrested for jaywalking on the way there.
The Censorship Angle Nobody’s Buying
KaniPro and their supporters initially framed Steam’s rejection as censorship, with the game’s description positioning Hong Kong 2097 as a breath of fresh air against encroaching censorship and social media algorithms crushing freedom of thought. Some fans rallied around this narrative, comparing it to other controversial Steam situations. However, that argument collapsed once the actual reason emerged: copyright violations, not content restrictions.
The censorship framing falls apart because Steam famously hosts games with titles too explicit to mention in professional articles. The platform distributes legitimately offensive content regularly without issues. If Valve wanted to censor offensive games, they’d need to delist hundreds of existing titles before touching Hong Kong 2097. The fact that third-party content violations caused the ban rather than taste concerns undermines the whole freedom-of-speech defense the developers attempted.
Alternative Platforms to the Rescue
KaniPro isn’t canceling Hong Kong 2097 despite the Steam rejection. They’re currently investigating alternative distribution platforms with more flexible policies regarding third-party content usage. The three candidates mentioned are itch.io, GOG, and DLsite. Each platform has different content policies and licensing requirements that might accommodate the game’s situation better than Steam’s stricter enforcement.
Itch.io represents the most likely destination given its reputation as a haven for experimental, controversial, and independently published games that mainstream platforms won’t touch. GOG focuses on DRM-free distribution but maintains quality standards that could still pose challenges. DLsite caters to Japanese and Asian markets with content policies significantly different from Western platforms. Wherever Hong Kong 2097 eventually lands, the developers confirmed the game remains completely finished and ready for distribution once they secure platform approval.
What Actually Is Hong Kong 2097
Beyond the offensive window dressing, Hong Kong 2097 functions as a static screen twin-stick shooter inspired by games like Smash TV. Players control Chin through five worlds, each containing multiple substages and boss fights. The gameplay twist involves a shield that Chin can rotate around himself to block and absorb certain enemy bullets, powering up weapons. Mastering the shield mechanic becomes key to surviving later stages.
The developers promised significantly more actual gameplay than the original Hong Kong 97, which barely functioned as a coherent game. While maintaining the sequel’s equally offensive story and utterly nonsensical graphics, KaniPro wanted to deliver the amount of gameplay you would expect when paying money for something. Stages take place across absurd locations like ranches in Texass where you shoot dancing hot dogs, and confrontations with flasher Uncle Sams in Idahoe. Celebrity cameos are teased but not confirmed.
The AI Content Disclosure
Hong Kong 2097’s Steam page included an AI-generated content disclaimer stating that much of the graphics were made using AI and then post-processed. This admission adds another layer to the third-party content issue. If developers used AI image generators trained on copyrighted materials without permission, that could contribute to the licensing problems Valve flagged. Many AI art generators face ongoing legal challenges about whether their training data violates copyright, creating murky waters for games built heavily on AI-generated assets.
The AI disclosure also undermines some of the artistic freedom arguments surrounding the game. There’s a difference between deliberately offensive hand-crafted content created through human artistic expression versus AI-generated shock imagery processed through algorithms. Whether that distinction matters philosophically is debatable, but it certainly complicates the narrative that Hong Kong 2097 represents fearless creative vision rather than algorithmically generated provocation.
What Happens to The Original Creator
Yoshihisa Kowloon Kurosawa’s involvement in Hong Kong 2097 represents an interesting redemption arc or cautionary tale depending on perspective. After Hong Kong 97 gained cult following status years after its 1995 release, Kurosawa wasn’t delighted. He told fans to stop taking it seriously and quit asking questions. For years he seemed content to forget the game existed. Then in 2025, he returned to collaborate on an official sequel embracing the notoriety rather than running from it.
The decision to make Hong Kong 2097 suggests Kurosawa either made peace with his infamous legacy or recognized commercial opportunity in the cult following. Either way, his participation lends legitimacy to the project as an official sequel rather than unauthorized fan game. Whether that legitimacy survives the Steam rejection and platform-hopping remains to be seen. The game that made the big N cry according to marketing materials might end up making its own developers cry over distribution nightmares.
FAQs
Why was Hong Kong 2097 banned from Steam?
After three review attempts, Valve rejected Hong Kong 2097 due to extensive third-party content that developers didn’t have proper licensing rights to use. The offensive content apparently wasn’t the issue – copyright violations were.
When does Hong Kong 2097 release?
Originally scheduled for December 2025, Hong Kong 2097 is now delayed to Q1 2026. The game is completely finished but awaits platform approval from alternative storefronts after Steam rejection.
Where will Hong Kong 2097 be available?
KaniPro Games is investigating itch.io, GOG, and DLsite as alternative distribution platforms. The Steam page has been retired and the game will not come to that platform.
What is Hong Kong 97?
Hong Kong 97 is an infamous 1995 unlicensed bootleg SNES game deliberately designed to be the worst game possible. It featured offensive content, broken gameplay, and a real corpse photo as the game over screen, gaining cult status after internet discovery.
Who made Hong Kong 2097?
KaniPro Games developed Hong Kong 2097 in collaboration with Yoshihisa Kowloon Kurosawa, the original creator of Hong Kong 97. Kurosawa’s involvement makes this an official sequel rather than fan project.
What type of game is Hong Kong 2097?
Hong Kong 2097 is a static screen twin-stick shooter inspired by Smash TV. Players control protagonist Chin through five worlds with a rotating shield mechanic to block and absorb enemy bullets.
Why is Hong Kong 2097 controversial?
The game features deliberately offensive content including fentanyl as a weapon, collectible soiled undies, gun penises, and political satire targeting America. The Steam description openly acknowledged disrespect for all that is sacred.
Did AI create Hong Kong 2097’s graphics?
Yes. The Steam page included an AI-generated content disclaimer stating that much of the graphics were made using AI and then post-processed. This may have contributed to third-party content licensing issues.
Conclusion
Hong Kong 2097’s Steam rejection represents one of gaming’s more bizarre distribution controversies. A deliberately offensive sequel to the worst game ever made got banned not for its proudly tasteless content but for copyright violations on third-party assets. The developers who wanted to challenge censorship and social algorithms discovered that intellectual property law poses bigger obstacles than offensive humor. KaniPro’s frustrated tweets about Steam busting their balls while they’re stuck in gamedev limbo with a finished game would be funnier if it wasn’t genuinely frustrating for the team. Whether Hong Kong 2097 finds a home on itch.io, GOG, or DLsite during Q1 2026 remains uncertain. What is certain is that the sequel to gaming’s most notorious bootleg managed to create new notoriety before even releasing. Kurosawa came back after 30 years to make another intentionally terrible game, only to discover that modern game distribution makes releasing terrible games harder than it was in 1995 when you could just burn bootleg SNES cartridges and sell them underground. Progress means even deliberately offensive kusoge must navigate copyright law and platform policies. The game that wanted to be a breath of fresh air against censorship got suffocated by licensing paperwork instead. There’s probably a lesson in there somewhere about how fighting the system requires actually understanding the system, but honestly, it’s just funny that gun penises and fentanyl weapons passed Valve’s content review while unlicensed background art didn’t.