Sony has recently implemented a new censorship policy that extends worldwide in regards to sexual themes on the PlayStation. The new Sony censorship policies are having an affect on how these games are being released, both in Japan and in the west. For the first time, Sony has directly responded to questions regarding the new policy.
Niche Gamer is reporting that at a recent fan-focused event, one fan asked Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan/Asia President Atsushi Morita about the censorship policy and how they could balance both freedom of expression and games that are aimed at adults.
“About the censorship, we tried to meet global standards,” he is reported as saying. “Regarding the balance of the freedom of expression and safety for children, it’s a tough problem to deal with.”
This problem comes about as a number of games in Japan face issues regarding the new policy which are preventing them from being released. Kenichiro Takaki, series producer of Senran Kagura, noted that the next entry in the series Senran Kagura 7EVEN may take longer due to the new policy.
“Recently, regulations for sexual depiction have become stricter worldwide,” he said in an interview with Akiba Souken (via Niche Gamer). “Coming from this, we have to develop games in a way so that they won’t be misunderstood.”
“Because of that, I think it will take some time,” he added. “We want to make it happen, and we’re thinking about how to do that, and various works overall.”
A feature seen in previous Senran Kagura games, where players could interact with characters called Intimacy Mode, caused the latest game in the series, Senran Kagura Burst Re:Neweal, to be delayed in the west. An XSEED localization manager noted that it was due to the new policy.
Developer PQube also announced back in June that they canceled the western release of Omega Labyrinth Z, citing that they “must respectfully comply with the wishes of the platform holder.”
