The Japanese version of Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be released with significant changes due to censorship restrictions from the country’s rating system.
According to an official announcement from Ubisoft, the Japanese version of Assassin’s Creed Shadows will undergo significant modifications in order to comply with the regulations of the certification organization CERO (Computer Entertainment Rating Organization) of Japan.
As Ubisoft reveals through an announcement on its Japanese social networks, the main difference lies in the removal of the ability to decapitate and mutilate enemies during the game. Specifically, the option to enable/disable mutilations has been completely removed from the game’s settings.
The company clarifies that while in the international versions (North America, Europe) players have the option to disable the most graphic scenes of violence, in the Japanese version these options will be locked and “body parts will always remain attached”. Additional changes include changes to the representation of mutilated body parts, apparently to make them less graphic.
Ubisoft also said that some Japanese voiceovers heard in the international version have been changed, but did not provide further details. It is worth noting that the Japanese CERO rating system has a history of strict restrictions on violence in video games. Examples include Call of Duty: Black Ops, which was censored, and the recent Dead Space Remake, which was not allowed to be released in Japan at all.
The issue drew a sharp reaction last year from EA Japan head Shaun Noguchi, after Stellar Blade was approved despite the presence of mutilated limbs. Noguchi has publicly expressed his concern about the different treatment of games by CERO.
Eurogamer, which recently had the opportunity to try Assassin’s Creed Shadows, described it through journalist Katharine as the “biggest refresh of the series in years.
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