Influencer Jianhao Tan slammed for promoting dating game on IG page, publisher clarifies it's 'not for children'
TikTokers have raised concerns about influencer Jianhao Tan's new interactive live-action game, Island of Hearts, after promotional material was posted on his Instagram account, which purportedly has a large student following.
The game publisher, 4Divinity, has since clarified that the game is "not intended for children" and that they are working with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to obtain an age restriction for the dating simulator game.
Tan, who has over 7.78 million subscribers on YouTube and 739,000 followers on Instagram, is known for his series of comedic school skits titled Titan Academy. He is also the founder of Titan Digital Media.
Interactive game promoted on Tan's Instagram page
Island of Hearts was promoted on Tan's and Titan Digital Media's Instagram accounts on Oct 8, 2025, with a photo of him and six scantily clad influencers on a boat.
The game, scheduled to launch in spring 2026 on the Steam platform, features content creators including Tan's wife, Debbie Soon, as well as prominent Asian influencers such as Fiona Xue, Siew Pui Yi, and Baby G – who boast between 20,000 and over 24 million followers on Instagram.
It follows a fictional storyline set on an island resort, where players are tasked with making decisions that determine their relationship with various characters.
In the post, the 32-year-old shared that he had been working on the game for the past few months and invited followers to support the game at Gamescom Asia — an international gaming event.
"That is a bold move and a thrilling project you made," one netizen commented, while another said it looked like the "Asian version of Love Island", a popular dating reality show originating in the UK.
Another post on Oct 19, 2025, documented the weekend at Gamescom Asia, where the game's trailer was launched. In the post, which received over 4,000 likes, the influencer urged followers to add the game to their Steam wishlist.
'Jianhao Tan's audience are kids': TikTokers raise concerns
Multiple TikTokers have raised concerns about the game, and in particular, the platform on which it was promoted.
One such user, who goes by @gamatoot on TikTok, posted a video about her concerns on Jan 21, garnering over 164,600 views.
"Jianhao Tan's audience are kids," she pointed out, showing previews of the game's trailer where women are shown in suggestive settings.
Another content creator, who goes by @radical_kindness_, asked in his post if the decision to launch the game was influenced by Titan Digital Media's expansion, questioning how much agency Tan had in its creation.
Tan responded in the comments, clarifying that six to seven companies were involved in the game's development, and that it "has never been marketed to kids". He added that to purchase the game, one would have to use a credit card, which was "something only adults can do".
"If anyone's child can do that, the parents have bigger things to worry about," Tan said, clarifying that it was not a pornographic game. "You'll be able to find a lot more extreme content on even IG or TikTok."
TikToker claims it's easy to bypass adult content warning on Steam
However, TikToker @iampoopy228 disagreed with Tan's assertion that the game would not be accessible for children, showing that it was easy to access adult content on Steam.
In his video, the TikToker shows viewers a page on Steam that warns users of adult content when they try to access the game.
However, the warning seemingly disappears after the TikToker clicks "View Page", allowing him to proceed with the purchase.
Responding to Tan's claims that only adults could use credit cards, iampoopy228 pointed out that children could visit convenience stores to purchase gift cards and load them onto their Steam wallets, bypassing the need for contactless payment.
He even challenged Tan's statement that there was more harmful content online. "Does that mean you can put out bad content if there's worse content out there?" he asked.
Tan 'did nothing irresponsible': Game publisher
In response to Stomp's queries, 4Divinity clarified that the game is not intended for children below 16, and they are in the process of applying for an age rating through IMDA. So far, they have obtained a 14+ rating in Brazil and 16+ in Germany.
The spokesperson added that the game involved at least five different companies, and that holding Tan responsible for the "direction or vibe, or age-appropriateness" of the game "isn't particularly accurate nor fair."
"4Divinity takes full responsibility for the development of the story, the script, the cast, and the wardrobe."
Keith Liu, Deputy CEO of GCL Global Holdings, the parent company of Titan Digital Media and 4Divinity, told Stomp that Tan's posts were not shared on any "child-focused channels".
He added that the posts provided fans with insight into the production of the game, and did not have any paid advertising associated with the posts.
Mr Liu maintained that the influencer "did nothing irresponsible nor illegal, but is in fact a fantastic collaborator in this project".
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