GoreBox developer says game is for adults, vows cooperation with PH authorities

Felix Filip, founder of F2 Games and developer of GoreBox, said the violent sandbox game was made for adults and was not designed for players below 18, following concerns raised after the school shooting in Tacloban City.

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) has temporarily banned GoreBox after the incident, which left three students dead and 20 others injured.

CICC temporarily bans GoreBox after Tacloban school shooting incident

In a statement, Filip expressed sympathy for the victims, their families, and the San Jose National High School community.

“I’m heartbroken by what happened in Tacloban. My thoughts are with the families who lost their children, with everyone who was injured, and with the entire San Jose National High School community. A loss like this is devastating,” Filip said.

Filip said GoreBox is distributed through Steam and Google Play under existing age-rating and parental-control systems. He said the game also includes recurring reminders warning players that the content is fictional entertainment and should not be treated as a guide for real-life behavior.

“GoreBox is made for an adult audience. It isn’t designed or rated for players under 18,” he said.

According to Filip, the reminder appears when the game is first opened and every tenth launch afterward. The message tells players that GoreBox does not promote or glorify real-world violence and advises anyone struggling with violent thoughts or emotional distress to seek help.

Filip said no developer can verify the age of every person who downloads a game, which is why platform safeguards such as age gates and parental controls exist.

“No developer can verify the age of every person who downloads a game, which is exactly why platform age-gates and parental controls exist, and I’ll support any reasonable effort to make those safeguards work better,” he said.

Filip said he understands why authorities are acting cautiously, but added that the investigation should be allowed to establish the facts.

“When children have been harmed, I understand authorities wanting to act cautiously, and they have my full cooperation,” Filip said. “I don’t think it’s my place to speculate about the causes of this tragedy while the investigation is ongoing.”

He said he would continue to cooperate with legitimate requests from Philippine authorities.

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