Resident Evil Director Thinks Game Censorship Sucks

With the October release of Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered looming, criticism of Japan's CERO age rating board intensifies. The game's creators are voicing their frustration over the censorship applied to the remastered version for the Japanese market.

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 openly criticized Japan's CERO rating board. Their frustration stems from the censorship imposed on the Hella Remastered console release in Japan. In an interview with GameSpark, they questioned the rationale behind CERO's restrictions.

Suda51, known for Killer7 and the No More Heroes series, confirmed the need to create two versions of the game for release in Japan. He stated, "Creating two versions presented a significant challenge, dramatically increasing our workload and extending development time."

Shinji Mikami, renowned for his work on mature titles like Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, and God Hand, expressed disappointment with CERO's approach. He argued that the board is disconnected from the modern gaming community. He commented, "It's peculiar that non-gamers attempt to censor games, preventing players from experiencing the complete work, especially when there's a demand for mature titles."

CERO's rating system uses classifications like CERO D (17+) and CERO Z (18+). Mikami's original Resident Evil, a pioneer in the horror genre, featured graphic content. Its 2015 remake, retaining the series' signature gore, received a CERO Z rating.

Suda51 questioned the purpose of these restrictions, stating, "While regional restrictions are unavoidable, I constantly wonder about the players' perspective. What's the objective of these limitations? Who are they targeting? It certainly doesn't seem to be the players themselves."

This isn't the first time CERO's rating practices have faced scrutiny. In April, EA Japan's Shaun Noguchi highlighted inconsistencies, noting the approval of Stellar Blade with a CERO D rating while Dead Space was rejected.