Game

STEINS;GATE

2009

Insufficient evidence

We did not find enough credible, independent evidence to publish a numeric cash-grab score. Unrated is more honest than a guess.

What counts as a cash grab?

Commercial extraction prioritized over meaningful consumer or creative value. Profit, popularity, adaptations, sequels, remakes, high budgets, and normal marketing do not count by themselves.

Why?

Steins;Gate (2009) is a widely praised visual novel that was first released on Xbox 360 then ported to PC, PSP, iOS, Android, PS3 and Vita, later receiving a fully animated remaster (STEINS;GATE ELITE). Contemporary reviews and long-term sales led publishers to produce physical limited editions and multiple re-releases. I found no credible reporting of predatory monetization, rushed deceptive launches, or paid live-service mechanics for the original title. Mobile ports used in-app purchases to unlock content, a standard paid-app model rather than documented exploitation.

Strong critical acclaim and enduring positive reviews indicate substantive consumer value.
Multiple ports and a high-effort remaster (Elite) show continued investment rather than cheap repackaging.
Physical limited editions and standard retail pricing were documented for Western releases.

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Score factors

Direction	Factor	Evidence	Impact
Against	Critical acclaim and narrative value	Contemporary critics and long-form reviews praised Steins;Gate's writing, characters, and presentation as genre-leading, supporting substantial consumer value.[2][3]	-18
Against	Multiple ports and sustained release history	The game was ported from Xbox 360 (2009) to Windows, PSP, iOS, PS3, PS Vita and Android across 2010-2013 and later reissued on Steam, showing continued support and re-releases rather than a single opportunistic cash play.[1][6]	-11
Against	High-effort remaster (STEINS;GATE ELITE)	STEINS;GATE ELITE remade the original with full animated scenes from the TV anime plus newly produced animation for previously unanimated routes, indicating substantial production investment.[4][5]	-16
Against	Physical collector editions and documented localization	Western releases included a JAST USA collector's edition and PQube-located console releases with limited editions, showing conventional retail practice rather than deceptive repackaging.[1][7]	-9

Confidence: Low · No source-backed commercial-extraction signal was found. · Researched 2026-07-27

Sources reviewed

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