Overstock.com sells rape simulation video game

Overstock.com sells "RapeLay PC Game English Edition Sexy" on their website which to me looks like a PR-blunder of massive-ginourmous proportions. Yes, that Overstock, the brand with the "O" lady Sabine that drove brand recognition up to 46 %, and the female target market, is selling rape-simulation games in their auction area. For real. And it's just ten bucks.

Yesterday Amazon was selling it as well, The Belfast Telegraph reports and has this fantastic bit of info:

The game's producer, Illusion is a company from Japan famous for making similar 3D Hentai games.
The online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, says: "Due to Illusion's policy, its games are not intended to be sold or used outside of Japan, and official support is only given in Japanese and for use in Japan."

...yes, because it only being intended for sale in the Japanese market makes it all OK? What?

Jezebel has an update see comment & link there

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ahem's picture

Let's see...
1- That item was listed by some independent seller on Overstock Auctions, not the main overstock.com retail site.
2- That auction ended nine months ago.
3- The item is not currently listed on either site.

Were you aware of any of this when you wrote that post?

Dabitch's picture

Yes to all of the above, miss the point much? The amazon situation was the same but in a brand-protecting smart move™ they had the listing removed as soon as they were alerted to it by the paper that I link to.

ahem's picture

You're not linking to anything current. It's a months old screenshot. What, exactly is your point?

Dabitch's picture

I took the screenshot the day I posted this, so it's not "months old", it actually shows up on a search now. The point is the dangers of allowing anyone sell whatever the hell they want under your brand and the difference between the companies reaction to this. Amazon removed the product and the sale page as soon as it hit the papers (but only after it hit the papers), Overstock who was in the same situation doesn't seem to care. Which brand is less likely to get burned by this game?

For comparison, here's a few links:

Rapelay virtual rape game banned by Amazon - Amazon = hero (even if they allowed the sale in the first place)
Amazon drops rape simulation game, again amazon = hero

The Motley Fool Boards moneyquote: "The seller has received 100% positive ratings.

Overstock.com needs to do a better job of screening such trash."

Theatre of cruelty (blogpost) Moneyquote: "Granted this is obviously third party upload of a product, but fercrissakes people isn't anyone watching the goddamn store?
Though the game is no longer available on Amazon, the English version of the game is still being sold on eBay, Overstock.com"

I still think leaving that old auction up in this current news cycle is a PR blunder.

Dabitch's picture

Hours after this was posted (on Friday) though - Jezebel got this : email from Overstock

I appreciate you bringing this to our attention. We try, but not always succeed, in catching and removing items like this from our website. This was an unintentional error and we hope you will accept our sincere apologies. We promptly removed this product from our website and added it to our prohibited items list, and in future will more carefully police for similar auction products.

(Odd that I can still se the old auction if they're "promptly removed this product", but I guess it doesn't apply to old auctions?)