Fans mourn end of a weird era as cult pigeon dating sim is set to be delisted in June. Yes, really
Hatoful Boyfriend. (Mediatonic)
Hatoful Boyfriend ranks among the weirdest dating simulators in gaming, but it’s soon to be delisted across iOS, Android and PlayStation.
The game is a pigeon dating simulator originally released in 2011 in Japan.
On an alternative version of Earth populated by sentient birds, you play as the only human at the St. PigeoNation’s Institute school for birds who’s looking for love.
Yes, really.
It plays out as a visual novel, with branching storylines based on your decision making. There’s also an extra mode, Bad Boys Love, in which you must uncover the conspiracy behind the lead character’s death.
From the end of May, the game will no longer be available on iOS, Android and PlayStation.
The news of the game’s delisting – and its sequel Holiday Star – was announced on Twitter by the game’s creator and manga artist Hato Moa.
“Hatoful&HoliStar will be delisted from these three stores because the publishing agreements on those platforms are coming to an end,” she wrote.
Hatoful&HoliStar will be delisted from these three stores because the publishing agreements on those platforms are coming to an end.
— Moa (@moa810) May 22, 2021
One fan said: “This is a shame. Glad I have played and own both games but these deserve to be available for future players. I hope they will return.” Same.
If you already own Hatoful Boyfriend on these platforms, you’ll still be able to play it. The game will also remain available on PC via Steam.
It’s an eccentric release that’s garnered quite the cult following, so if you’re interested don’t miss out.
Hatoful Boyfriend was remade in English in 2014 by Mediatonic, the developers behind Fall Guys, and rewritten by Ed Fear.
Fear and Moa then went on to work together on Murder by Numbers, a nonogram puzzle game brimming with queer energy in which you solve murder cases in a vibrant 90s world.
In an exclusive interview with Pink News, Fear explained how he and Moa were big fans of Drag Race and so decided to set one of the game’s murder cases in a drag bar.
That led to a wonderfully queer storyline that’s subtly educational around drag culture and identity.
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