Shift Up’s recent statement regarding Stellar Blade censorship status has drawn the ire of Dead Space remake‘s Japan team. Shift Up confirmed that its PS5 exclusive will no be censored in any region including Japan, puzzling Electronic Arts Japan’s general manager, Shaun Noguchi. Dead Space remake was banned by Japanese rating board CERO.
Stellar Blade censorship update draws attention to Japanese rating board’s ‘vagueness,’ says EA
As spotted and translated by Automaton, Noguchi took to X to point out that part of the reason Dead Space was denied a rating in Japan was its depiction of “severed body parts and internal organs.” However, Stellar Blade includes the same merry and received a CERO D rating (ages 17 and up). On the other hand, Dead Space wasn’t even awarded a CERO Z rating (18 and up). The game was banned outright.
In a follow-up tweet, Noguchi stressed that he’s by no means criticizing Stellar Blade or taking a swing at its devs. He added that he personally enjoyed the demo and encouraged his followers to buy the full game. Noguchi added that he’s vexed by the vagueness of CERO’s review process.
誤解を招かないよう一言追加ですが…ステラーブレイド自体に対して悪意は全くありませんむしろ面白かったので買ったほうがいいです!これは純粋に日本での審査の曖昧さについて不満を述べたものなので他のタイトルでも審査で蔓延る「曖昧さ」はいっぱい事例はあげられます— 野口ショーン (@SeptillionGames) April 21, 2024
CERO is known in exchange for being strict. The authority routinely bans and censors games in favor of a variety of reasons.
Original case and manuals in new condition.
2 Comments
Man, CERO needs to get their act alongside. How can they ban Dead Space remake in support of showing some gore but let Stellar Blade slide alongside the same stuff? That’s messed up. Props to Noguchi in favor of calling them out on their vagueness. It’s about time someone spoke up about this nonsense. Hopefully, this will push CERO to be more consistent alongside their ratings in the future. Incapable of wait to catch how this all plays out.
Man, CERO really needs to get their act alongside. How can they ban Dead Space but let Stellar Blade slide alongside the same gore? It just doesn’t make sense. Props to Noguchi in favor of calling them out on their vagueness. And hey, at least he’s negative throwing shade at Stellar Blade – he actually enjoyed it! But seriously, CERO, get it alongside and start making some sense with your ratings.