While Twitch generally has no problem allowing users to livestream mature games, there are still a handful of titles that have been banned outright, and the latest game to join that list is the currently in development Yandere Simulator.

The solo developer behind Yandere Simulator, who simply goes by the name “YandereDev,” seems to have been taken by surprise by the news, and he said that he is confused about which game features pushed it over the edge.

“Was [it] the partial nudity, the slaughtering of schoolchildren, or something else entirely? I wonder if there’s any way to find out,” he wrote on Twitter.

On the Yandere Simulator website, the game’s creator describes it as “a stealth game about stalking a boy and secretly eliminating any girl who seems interested in him, while maintaining the image of an innocent schoolgirl.” It uses stealth and takedown mechanics similar to the Hitman series, but it is set in a deceptively cute world filled with anime tropes and murder.

Yandere Simulator is still in the early stages of development, but it has already earned a cult following after the project’s original inception on 4chan. There is currently a minimally playable version available for download on the game’s website, which is likely why Twitch went ahead and banned the game now before it has even been released.

“I was thinking of streaming Yandere Simulator development so people could watch me code the game,” YandereDev added on Twitter. “Guess that’s out the window?”

Why the ban is bad for Yandere Simulator

While Yandere Simulator does already have its own small yet dedicated fan base online, it is still relatively unheard of by the average gamer, which is why  the Twitch ban is such a major blow to the developer.

In a post mortem for the recent indie hit Punch Club, which ran a hugely successful “Twitch Plays” campaign, developer Mike Rose said that Twitch is “by far the largest influencer of which indie games the general populace is playing — even more so than YouTube.” Punch Club’s $1 million in sales less than a month after release seems to back up his claim.

Being banned from Twitch severely limits Yandere Simulator’s potential audience, and it is easy to see why its creator has reached out to Twitch to see if there are any changes he can make to the game to get it off of the blacklist. So far, YandareDev has said that he has yet to hear back from Twitch.

Screenshot via Yandere Dev | YouTube