Resident Evil Director Thinks Game Censorship Sucks

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered faces censorship in Japan, sparking outrage from creators Suda51 and Shinji Mikami.

CERO Under Fire Again

The remastered release of Shadows of the Damned has run afoul of Japan's CERO rating board, prompting a public rebuke from its creators. In an interview with GameSpark, Suda51 and Shinji Mikami voiced their frustration over the censorship required for the Japanese console release.

Suda51, known for titles like Killer7 and No More Heroes, explained the difficulties of creating two versions of the game – one uncensored, and one compliant with CERO's standards. This significantly increased development time and workload.

Mikami, famed for his work on Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, and God Hand, criticized CERO's disconnect from modern gamers. He argued that preventing players from experiencing the full game is illogical, particularly when a market clearly exists for mature titles. He highlighted the original Resident Evil's graphic content and its subsequent Z rating (18+) as a counterpoint.

Suda51 questioned the effectiveness and target audience of CERO's restrictions, emphasizing that they don't appear to consider the desires of the players themselves. He noted the inherent challenges of navigating regional censorship but questioned its overall purpose.

This isn't CERO's first brush with controversy. Earlier this year, EA Japan's Shaun Noguchi criticized inconsistencies in CERO's ratings, citing the approval of Stellar Blade with a CERO D (17+) rating while rejecting Dead Space. The ongoing debate highlights the tension between creative freedom and regional censorship regulations in the gaming industry.