Game Censorship Condemned by Resident Evil Director

The upcoming release of Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered has reignited the debate surrounding Japan's CERO age rating board. Developers Suda51 and Shinji Mikami, renowned for their work on titles like Killer7, No More Heroes, and the Resident Evil franchise, have publicly criticized the censorship imposed on the remastered game's Japanese console release.

In an interview with GameSpark, the duo detailed the challenges of creating two versions of the game – one for international audiences and a censored version for Japan. Suda51 highlighted the significant increase in workload and development time this necessitated. Mikami, expressing his disappointment, argued that CERO's approach is out of sync with the modern gaming landscape, suggesting that preventing players from experiencing the game's full content is counterintuitive, especially considering the demand for mature titles.

Mikami's perspective is particularly relevant, given his history with mature-rated horror games like Resident Evil. The original Resident Evil and its 2015 remake, both containing graphic content, received CERO Z (18+) ratings, illustrating the board's willingness to approve mature content under certain circumstances. This inconsistency highlights the seemingly arbitrary nature of CERO's decisions, as exemplified by the contrasting ratings given to Stellar Blade (CERO D, 17+) and Dead Space (rejected).

Suda51 questioned the rationale behind these restrictions, highlighting the disconnect between the board's decisions and the preferences of gamers. He questioned the target audience of these restrictions, suggesting they don't reflect the desires of the player base. The ongoing criticism of CERO underscores the need for a more transparent and consistent rating system that aligns with the evolving tastes and expectations of the Japanese gaming community. This situation underscores the ongoing conflict between creative freedom and regional censorship regulations within the video game industry.