Weedcraft Inc. demonetised on YouTube despite ‘no illegal drug use or violence’

Monarch’s tycoon game about growing and distributing marijuana, Weedcraft Inc., is facing advertising restrictions across Facebook and YouTube.

PR representative Stephanie Tinsley Fitzwilliam hit back on social media, expressing their frustration both with YouTube and the fact the game was “banned from Facebook” despite no illegal drug use or violence in the game.

“So Weedcraft, a game about building a corporate business around legal marijuana, features no illegal drug use or violence, but has just been banned from Facebook & YT vids are being demonetized,” Fitzwilliam said. “But you can post ads for whatever shooty shooterman murder simulator w/ no problem.”

When challenged by another Twitter user who pointed out that marijuana was still outlawed in many US states, Fitzwilliam added: “Murdering people is also illegal in every state and country around the world but there’s still a billion videos showing games that do that on youtube so it’s really less about what’s legal and more about hypocrisy, I think.”

So Weedcraft, a game about building a corporate business around legal marijuana, features no illegal drug use or violence, but has just been banned from Facebook & YT vids are being demonetized.

But you can post ads for whatever shooty shooterman murder simulator w/ no problem. pic.twitter.com/3lfl9fi0Re

— Qai Qai’s J. Jenkins (@AgentTinsley) April 11, 2019

In a tweet yesterday, publisher Devolver Digital thanked content creators for still covering the game in spite of “YouTube’s ridiculous demonetization of all the game’s videos”.

“The game contains no actual drug use with a genuine look at the political issues and legalization struggles – but alas,” Devolver said via a tweet.

This isn’t the first time one of Devolver’s games has been rejected by advertisers. In January, Facebook rejected an advertisement for Gris, claiming it was too “sexually suggestive”.

“We appealed and they said the appeal was rejected based on the grounds that Facebook does not allow nudity,” Devolver said at the time. “First of all, she’s a statue and second, absolutely no nudity is shown in that photo, nor is this what any reasonable person would consider ‘sexualized content’.”

It was later revealed that the ban was not for Gris directly, but rather other material posted on Devolver Digital’s own social channels which violated Facebook’s zero tolerance policy on nudity.