Solo FPS dev left baffled after their retro-style FPS is inexplicably deemed ineligible for Steam's FPS sale

The developer of Hedon Bloodrite was confused when their FPS game was deemed ineligible for Steam's FPS Fest. Despite meeting the event's criteria, they received an error message. Other developers have reported similar issues, indicating a problem with Steam's event eligibility process.

The solo developer of the retro-style FPS Hedon Bloodrite has been left confused after their game was deemed ineligible to participate in Steam's FPS Fest sale – an event focused on, you guessed it, FPS games. 

Although the first Hedon started life as a total conversion mod for Doom 2 (reworking the entire game in the process), developer Zan_HedonDev later combined it with Hedon 2 to form Hedon Bloodrite, a FPS with an "exotic world of lore and secrets." At the time of writing, it's managed to amass over 1,700 reviews on Steam to form a 'Very Positive' rating. 

While many developers have been taking to Twitter to confirm their participation in the Steam FPS Fest, Zan_HedonDev has shared their own, less positive announcement: "Steam FPS Fest is on! Get Hedon 0% off," they write, along with a screenshot which reads, "None of your games are eligible to participate in this event."

Steam FPS Fest is on!Get Hedon 0% off 🔥💯Link below 👇 pic.twitter.com/lTeqJ7VkgSApril 15, 2024

In the replies of their tweet, they elaborate that it's "probably an error on Steam's behalf. Sadly I get an error when I appeal too." The dev also clarifies that the game's price hasn't been changed in the last 28 days, which is one reason why Hedon Bloodrite could have been deemed ineligible. "It is what it is," they say.

Even if the developer has seemingly accepted the decision on this occasion, as has been pointed out by others, this isn't the first time that we've seen games deemed ineligible for Steam events like this when it seems like they should fit the bill perfectly. 

"I have a deckbuildery boardgame-inspired thing. Was rejected from the deckbuilder fest, no reason given. Applying for the endless replayability fest but as they say on the form 'deckbuilders don't apply' expecting to get rejected there too," Chironex Studios dev @hersperus writes.

Other devs have reported that getting into the FPS Fest wasn't exactly straightforward, with some having to submit tickets to have their games approved: "Our team, and someone else I know, had the same issue where the game was not eligible despite being a shooter. We submitted a ticket and got it fixed within 24 hours," Selaco dev @Nexxtic says. 

For Hedon Bloodrite's developer, not being able to participate is a huge shame, as events like these are a great way for devs to spotlight their games even years after they've released, to invite more people to give them a go. It remains to be seen if they can push past the error messages that they're reportedly receiving to get included before the event ends next week. 

If you love FPS games, be sure to check out our list of the top 25 best FPS games for more recommendations.