Censorship in Video Games: Director's Dissent

The upcoming October release of Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered has reignited the debate surrounding Japan's CERO age rating system. The game's creators have voiced their strong disapproval of the censorship applied to the Japanese console version.

Suda51 and Shinji Mikami Condemn Shadows of the Damned's Censorship

CERO Faces Backlash Again

Suda51 and Shinji Mikami, the creative minds behind Shadows of the Damned, have publicly criticized Japan's CERO rating board for the censorship imposed on the remastered edition's Japanese console release. In an interview with GameSpark, they openly challenged CERO's restrictions and questioned the rationale behind them.

Suda51, known for his work on Killer7 and the No More Heroes series, confirmed the necessity of creating two versions of the game – a censored version for Japan and an uncensored version for other regions. He highlighted the significant increase in workload and development time this required.

Shinji Mikami, renowned for his work on mature titles such as Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, and God Hand, expressed his disappointment, suggesting CERO is out of sync with modern gamers. He argued against non-gamers dictating content restrictions that prevent players from experiencing the full intended game experience, especially for those seeking mature titles.

CERO's rating system uses classifications like CERO D (17+) and CERO Z (18+). Mikami's original Resident Evil, a groundbreaking horror title, featured graphic content and its 2015 remake, retaining that signature style, received a CERO Z rating.

Suda51 questioned the effectiveness and target audience of the restrictions, emphasizing his uncertainty about the impact on players and the overall purpose of such limitations. He stated that the restrictions don't seem to consider the preferences of the players themselves.

This isn't the first time CERO's practices have drawn criticism. In April, EA Japan's Shaun Noguchi raised concerns about inconsistencies, citing the approval of Stellar Blade with a CERO D rating while rejecting Dead Space.