Microsoft may pull Xbox game for violating achievements policies

Microsoft may be considering pulling a certain Xbox title from its digital store over its achievements. The game in question, One Step After Fall, has not yet been delisted from the Xbox Store as of the time of this writing, but developer The Bergson’s Games Studios has decided to cancel the Spanish Windows release after the Spanish and German language versions were delisted.

Why, you may be asking? Because the narrative adventure game allows language-stacking of its achievements. This is when a game sees separate releases in different languages, with separate (though identical) achievements handed out.

This is done to attract achievement hunters and get them to buy multiple versions of a game. In this case, One Step After Fall can reward players with 1,000G in as little as 15 minutes. Stacked three times with the Spanish and German language versions, that’s a cool 3,000G in 45 minutes.

While this seems to be a gray area with regards to Xbox Store policies, nonetheless gamers have reported One Step After Fall (Espanol) and One Step After Fall (Deutsch) being removed from their game libraries. Gamers have to go through Xbox support to get refunded.

The Bergson’s Games Studios took to Twitter to issue a statement on the matter and offer an apology to anyone inconvenienced by the delistings.

(English translation from Portuguese:
We are officially speaking out on the removal of One Step After Fall versions: Initially on behalf of The Bergson’s Games Studios we would like to apologize for all the inconvenience caused to you, friends, players and consumers!)

Boa noite amigos!

Estamos oficialmente se pronunciando sobre a remoção das versões de One Step After Fall:

Inicialmente em nome da The Bergson's Games Studios gostariamentos de pedir desculpas por todo o transtorno causado a vocês, amigos, jogadores e consumidores! pic.twitter.com/tA821EmdJh

— The Bergson's Games Studios (@BergsonThe) April 16, 2023

Via True Achievements.