Steam fixes its mess: Uma Musume is no longer 18+ in Indonesia

A few days ago, we were laughing at the absolute disaster that occurred in the Steam store in Indonesia, and now we finally have an official response. Valve has stepped forward and publicly apologized for the technical glitch that caused the harmless racing game Uma Musume Pretty Derby to receive a fearsome 18+ rating, while explicit eroges like Saya no Uta and Nukitashi were approved for preschool children.

Why were the horse waifus rated for adults?

All this chaos originated from a requirement by the Indonesian Ministry of Communication, which forced the implementation of their local rating system (IGRS) labels. To speed up the process, Steam used an automated survey system. The problem is that Uma Musume Pretty Derby includes in-app purchases and mechanics that simulate gambling—meaning, our classic and beloved gacha system. These elements triggered all the algorithm's alarms, automatically granting it the maximum age restriction regardless of its wholesome and cute story.

The end of the chaos and the store correction

To stop the international mockery and confusion, Valve temporarily removed all these erroneous ratings that were visible in early April. Fortunately for horse girl fans, their game has already been corrected to its actual category for ages 3 and up. The platform promised that from now on they will work more closely with the Indonesian government to integrate age ratings accurately, demonstrating how difficult it is for these global stores to adapt to local laws in record time.

Knowing that the algorithm got confused by monetization mechanics, do you think games with a gacha system should actually be exclusive to adults?