On October 4, indie game developer Noame Takii published a post atnotedetailing the steps she took after a Japanese bank refused to process her Steam sales (debanking), resulting in the postponement of the release of her yuri game *Are We in a Fake Marriage?*.
Production Resumes After Resolving Payment Refusal Issue
In August, Takii reported that Shinsei Bank had refused to accept her Steam sales proceeds due to adult content.Subsequently, he requested that the publisher transfer proceeds from non-adult titles to Japan Post Bank, but the bank refused. Faced with a situation where he could not receive proceeds from his new title either, he prioritized resolving this issue and postponed the release of *Are We in a Fake Marriage?*.
A note published online revealed the circumstances leading to the payment rejection. At the time the issue arose, sales had increased due to a sale, which triggered the bank’s automated checks and raised suspicions of money laundering, prompting a request for documentation. The developer reflected that adult-oriented patches for past titles and the fact that the revenue was from business operations were deemed violations of the terms of service.
Mr. Takii ultimately resolved the issue by opening an account at a different bank that allows business transactions. Although he had to abandon the adult-oriented patches for his past works, he states that production of *Are We a Fake Marriage?* has resumed now that arrangements with the relevant parties have been finalized.
He also appealed to creators facing the same issue, urging them not to feel discouraged or assume they are at fault even if a bank raises suspicions. Regarding adult-oriented works, he said, “Please don’t deny your own work,” while advising them to view compliance with bank regulations as a separate matter.
Partial Advance Shipment of Rewards
*Are We a Fake Marriage?*, production of which has now resumed, is a yuri romance adventure game (ADV) free of adult content, in which the player takes on the role of “Imaginary Angel-chan” and, alongside the protagonist Yakumo Nezumi, helps foster romantic relationships between the heroines.
Regarding this title, which was also funded through crowdfunding, Mr. Takii provided backers with an update on future plans, stating that physical rewards scheduled for shipment at launch—excluding physical copies and Steam codes—will be shipped ahead of schedule (the shipping schedule will be announced again following discussions with Mineart). He added that he will personally cover the shipping costs for the physical copies when the boxed edition is released.
Additionally, while the game’s release date will be announced after coordination with relevant parties, Mr. Takii has expressed his intention to release it “by Winter Comiket!” and revealed that he is preparing a demo version 2 featuring playable portions of the actual scenario in preparation for that release.
"Are We in a Fake Marriage?" is scheduled for release in 2026 for PC (Steam).
