Ace Of Spades Game Recalled After Mob Blasts Devir Games For "Racist Imagery"

The woke mob in board gaming may be the worst out of any group, and as Codenames: Harry Potter is getting canceled, another company, Devir Games, came under fire for their weird west-themed game Ace of Spades for “racist” art and subsequently issued an apology with a vow to fix their game.

Devir Games, founded in 1987 in Brazil, is a prominent international publisher and distributor of board games, role-playing games, comics, and collectible card games. With offices in multiple countries including Spain, Portugal, Italy, the United States, and various locations across Latin America, the company has established itself as a leading provider of modern games translated in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and English.

Ace of Spades, designed by Benjamin Amorin and published by Devir Games, is a solo or cooperative two-player card game intended for players aged 14 and older, with an average playtime of 40-45 minutes. Set in the fictional town of Sweet Haven, Arizona, the game follows a narrative of vengeance against a necromancer who has overrun the local cemetery. Players utilize poker-inspired mechanics to channel magical abilities, resolving intense duels against demonic minions and ultimately descending into Hell to confront the primary antagonist, Lord Overkill.

The game featured mostly recycled art from a lot of weird western themes, using characters and ideas that have been seen in dozens of games. They had several characters in a game that was poker-themed and Weird West, though the art looked cheap and ridiculous.

On BlueSky, however, outraged board game fans noted that several of the minority characters looked like caricature tropes, something that cannot be done in 2025. They became outraged, demanding the cancellation of the game and company, much as they’d riled up a mob over the Codenames iteration of Harry Potter earlier in the month. While the art certainly looks not good and cheaply done, there’s hardly a cause for alarm on any social matters.

The board gaming circuit is a small community, and they always default toward cancel culture, even in 2025. Even a company from Brazil doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt as they rage across BlueSky and the board game website, Board Game Geek, where moderators actually encourage this harassment and ban people from dissenting from th mobs.

Devir Games found themselves under fire, and unfortunately already caved, completely recalling the game after Gencon. They posted an apology:

To our community:

There's a principle we hold onto in moments like this: never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity. It does not excuse the error, but it reminds us that harm can be done — and was done — without ill intent. That harm still matters, and it is our responsibility to face it fully.

At Devir, we have made a serious mistake that we recognize and deeply regret. In our recent game Ace of Spades, we included inappropriate illustrations, texts, and card effects — one depicting a Black person in a state of enslavement, another portraying an enslaver — and we are aware there are some other cards as well. Both were originally intended as visual references to scenes from the film Django Unchained, as part of the game's homage to Western cinema.

However, we now fully understand that this approach was misguided. Depicting imagery tied to the violence and trauma of slavery — even as a cultural reference — is not appropriate in a board game context. These illustrations trivialize a painful and deeply rooted historical reality. They should never have been included.

Here's the transcription of the text in the image:

We take full responsibility for the harm caused, and we offer our sincere apology to everyone, without conditions or excuses.

We recognize that an apology is not enough on its own, which is why we are taking the following immediate and concrete steps:

• We will immediately stop the sales of this game and retrieve all the copies sent to retailers.

• We are designing all new replacement cards that will completely remove the previous illustrations.

• These new cards will be available free of charge. Anyone who requests them will receive them at no cost.

• The original cards will not appear in future editions or reprints of the game.

• We will review and replace any other cards in the game that may be hurtful or offensive, to ensure the full integrity and inclusiveness of the experience.

• We are taking down all social media content related to the game, until all materials have been thoroughly reviewed and revised.

• Additionally, we are launching a thorough review of our editorial and design processes to prevent anything like this from happening again.

• We will consult with experts in diversity, history, and cultural representation on our future projects.

Our commitment is clear: to listen, to make it right, and to do better. We are learning from this mistake with humility, and we know that only through action can we begin to rebuild the trust we've broken.

We are especially grateful to those who brought this issue to our attention with clarity and care. You've given us the opportunity to improve — and we will not waste it.

With respect and accountability, The Devir team

Another costly apology made by a gaming company due to a mob. Most of the responses on X were similar to what was seen with the Harry Potter situation, people saying that they shouldn’t have caved to a mob.

Now, the company faces a recall of product already made, plus having to try to rerelease it and sell it again with different art. Since we know how the mob works and doesn’t actually buy the product or apologize, this will be a costly error for Devir Games.

What do you think about Ace of Spades and Devir Games? Leave a comment and let us know.

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