ROES Director Denounces Content Censorship

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

Suda51 and Shinji Mikami Condemn Censorship in Shadows of the Damned

CERO Faces Renewed Backlash

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 version. In an interview with GameSpark, they openly questioned the rationale behind these restrictions.

Suda51, renowned 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 Japanese consoles and an uncensored version. He highlighted the significant increase in workload and development time this entailed.

Shinji Mikami, celebrated for his contributions to mature titles like Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, and God Hand, expressed his disappointment with CERO's approach. He argued that the board's decisions are out of sync with the modern gaming audience, hindering players' ability to experience the game in its intended form. He questioned the logic of non-gamers dictating content restrictions for a community that actively seeks out mature titles.

CERO's rating system, encompassing categories like CERO D (17+) and CERO Z (18+), has been a source of ongoing debate. Mikami's original Resident Evil, a pioneer of the survival horror genre, featured graphic content and its 2015 remake, retaining this signature style, received a CERO Z rating.

Suda51 questioned the effectiveness and target audience of these restrictions, emphasizing his concern for the players' experience and wondering about the ultimate purpose of such limitations.

This isn't the first instance of CERO facing criticism. In April, EA Japan's Shaun Noguchi highlighted inconsistencies in CERO's ratings, citing the approval of Stellar Blade with a CERO D rating while rejecting Dead Space. This underscores the ongoing concerns regarding the transparency and consistency of CERO's rating process.