Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
No, there is reason. Now they selling well they think every game should have mass appeal.
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Sony forcing Japan only games to go through content inspections which are conducted in English
- Thread starter The Chairman
- Start date
JunkerWoland
Member
s_mirage
Member
If true, this is ridiculous. The purpose of ratings boards is to rate games according to the local legal framework. As long as content is legal, IMO it should be unrestricted and rated according to local standards, not pre-censored in accordance to what appear to be standards of other regions, and done so through an opaque corporate system rather than an accountable independent one.
Sony have some form for prudishness and over-cautiousness going back years though, despite their reputation of being "hip". Remember the controversy surrounding BMX XXX back in the mists of time? In the US it was released uncut by Microsoft and Nintendo, but not Sony. Sony had the nudity censored as it might have damaged their "brand image", or so they claimed. Microsoft and Nintendo were obviously horribly shamed, with their good names dragged through the mud... oh wait, the game released uncut on those systems and no-one gave a damn. I have a vague memory of Sony not being entirely hands off in the PS1 era either, and then there was the whole blocking the release of 2D games thing too.
Sony have some form for prudishness and over-cautiousness going back years though, despite their reputation of being "hip". Remember the controversy surrounding BMX XXX back in the mists of time? In the US it was released uncut by Microsoft and Nintendo, but not Sony. Sony had the nudity censored as it might have damaged their "brand image", or so they claimed. Microsoft and Nintendo were obviously horribly shamed, with their good names dragged through the mud... oh wait, the game released uncut on those systems and no-one gave a damn. I have a vague memory of Sony not being entirely hands off in the PS1 era either, and then there was the whole blocking the release of 2D games thing too.
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Northeastmonk
Gold Member
I don't think there should be such an advanced directive. After all, the ESRB can slap an AO on something deemed too explicit. Doesn't Cero put 18 on their games in Japan anyway? What gives? Unless of course they have some sorta fee to the ESRB? Sony is trying to tame the waters before someone else does?
I don't understand why it has to be in English either. Unless of course they don't have a translator. But what kind of hurdle is that? I wouldn't expect Altus and XSeed going bankrupt for hiring their translators.
What's crap is that we didn't even get Far East of Eden. Why don't they cut out this crap and bring the high quality role playing game to English speaking people. Save the money from agreeing with Present Trump.
I don't understand why it has to be in English either. Unless of course they don't have a translator. But what kind of hurdle is that? I wouldn't expect Altus and XSeed going bankrupt for hiring their translators.
What's crap is that we didn't even get Far East of Eden. Why don't they cut out this crap and bring the high quality role playing game to English speaking people. Save the money from agreeing with Present Trump.
Rhazer Fusion
Member
That’s true. Just developers who want to make something on the scale of DMC5 or Death Stranding might be screwed due to lack of horsepower though. It’s a tough situation.
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sublimit
Banned
"Stop spending your money on those filthy,sexist,weaboo,perverted games and buy REAL and MEANINGFUL games instead like our splendid The Last of Us 2!!"
The Mad Draklor
Member
I would say Nintendo has already grabbed much of the niche Japanese games audience before this policy came to light. With more and more people talking about this, Nintendo should expect to see more consumers flocking over. I, for one, am eager to see how the enhanced Switch turns out next year.
DunDunDunpachi
Patient MembeR
Sucks if that's truly their stance. Most of my PS4 game purchases this year have been imports of shmups and fighting games. If they don't want niches on their system, then it's no big deal to me. I already own a Switch.
s_mirage
Member
I'd bet that the ESRB (or PEGI) have nothing to do with this; it would be outside of their remit. If true, I'd bet that the Japanese developers are having to make presentations to English speaking Sony executives.
That would be worse IMO, as ratings boards at least have specific criteria of what can and cannot be legally shown, and have some oversight. An internal process would have no oversight, and decisions potentially left to the whims of management.
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kunonabi
Member
Oddly enough, this is biggest factor to actually push me to finally get a switch.
Hexa
Member
Yup. Sony has been blocking stuff approved by ESRB/PEGI arbitrarily as well. This is complete absurdity in so many ways.
Heimdall_Xtreme
Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
Boicot to Sony.
Dont buy Days gone and The last of us part II.
I can do that
That learn to Sony to have Respect to Japan Studio.
Dont buy Days gone and The last of us part II.
I can do that
That learn to Sony to have Respect to Japan Studio.
DunDunDunpachi
Patient MembeR
I thought Senran Kagura Peach Ball would've already convinced you.
The Mad Draklor
Member
Were you pissed as I was when Sony just left Gravity Rush 2 out to die?
InterMusketeer
Member
I didn't think it would happen this fast and that it would be done in such an obvious way but... this is what we were afraid of.
"We don't want to take away your games though!"
"We don't want to take away your games though!"
kunonabi
Member
It is one of the few Switch games I have on my potential to-buy list.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
infinitys_7th
Member
This is still going to affect you, because their inquisitions are happening to all games on their system.
Hexa
Member
I'm kind of worried about what Toyama is going to do next.
In January of 2017 it seems he wanted to another action adventure title.
In November of 2017 he hinted at working on a VR title.
I certainly don't hate VR and if that's what he really wanted to do that's fine, but it feels like Sony is pushing Japan Studio to only work on VR, which kind of sucks.
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E.T. Waifu
Member
Oh no. The world is ending.
Heimdall_Xtreme
Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
Yeah!! i will never forget this action of Sony
Zog
Banned
The way this works is that eventually developers censor their own games to avoid these complications. PC will be affected.
BusierDonkey
Member
PC will always be the last holdout but it's not immune. Steam just about made a huge mistake when they started removing certain things from the store. Luckily they did a 180 and let people be responsible for themselves. The devs themselves will start pre-censoring their games so that they can avoid this potential issue in the future. I'll mod out their shit if I can but the inclusion of so much online content makes modding some games either difficult, or impossible.
Nintendo's Treehouse has a tendency to meddle, but lately Japan has basically gone over them and left them out of things. They had planned of shitting up Xenoblade Chronicles 2 with a bunch of censorship, but Japan told them to piss off. In the end a few minor changes were made for localisation and Treehouse was upset they were left out, and that's a good thing. Fire Emblem is another franchise that Nintendo of Japan has started putting their foot down on. Replacing entire conversations with … didn't sit well with Japan.
It seems like it's not a big deal at first.
First they removed any signs of alcohol or drugs. That worked out okay but even as a kid I knew what was going on, who the fuck drinks milk at the bar? Then they removed any nudity or sex, again it wasn't a huge deal, the game still played fine. It made some story elements suffer but wasn't the end of the world. Then the violence was scaled back, and people grumbled but it happened. This was where a huge difference was being made. One system had no blood, the other did, and this kicked off a huge boost in the Genesis brand as they correctly realised people don't want their games changed to cater to the people they aren't made for. It also gave people like Jack Thompson a platform to shout from. The ratings system was soon introduced so that people can have their fun to play violent games with boobs back and the offended people could be responsible and decide what games their kids could buy. Of course the kids still played GTA because the parents were too busy being outraged to actually raise their own kids.
People have already given an inch at this point, but the easily offended are coming back for a mile. Now every game must meet the requirements of a panel that tears apart the entire game to make sure every aspect of it conforms to a certain viewpoint. Games no longer cover anything offensive to the panel, but do cover things nobody outside a small minority care about. Fast forward a few more years and you get banned from PlayStation's online just for the word Waifu being in your user name on NeoGaf while I get banned for having this opinion. It's a very slippery slope and the more people take the stance "It could be worse" the sooner they'll be proven right.
This kind of thing happened before, but in the comic book industry. The Comic Code Authority was introduced. It was a ridiculous set of rules that effectively They started censoring booze, tobacco, sex, violence, talk of divorce, etc. The entire industry almost crashed overnight because telling interesting stories became censored. Underground publishers were the industry's saving grace because they chose not to follow the CCA. What Sony is doing now is just the same and I hope it blows up in their faces.
down 2 orth
Member
Foreigners censoring Japanese games sounds sketchy as fuck. Good thing I'm moving more toward my new PC and less toward my PS Pro... time for another platform shift methinks.
Mobile Suit Gooch
Grundle: The Awakening
All the Japanese devs gotta do is add some smelly-Lesbians and a black trans woman to their games. Insta-woke points.
kunonabi
Member
Do we have more details on this?
If Sterling comments on this situation it's going to be hilarious to see him spin it as not censorship.
Thiagosc777
Member
I am loving it. Not because I enjoy censorship, but because all of this was spelled out years ago and many chose to stick their heads in the sand. Gamers were always right. They are going to take your games away.
I hope those who seem upset about it start voting with their wallets.
I hope those who seem upset about it start voting with their wallets.
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The Mad Draklor
Member
Sony is so entrenched in censorship that they're doing it in real life, too!
Remember when Sony wanted to "crank up communication with fans"?
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Fbh
Member
I don't even get what they are gaining for doing this.
For western games I asume it's to avoid the SJW mobs on social media. I don't agree with it but at least I get why they are doing it.
But is any large or loud group complaining in Japan? Or do we actually have people in the west complaining about the content in Japan only games? Is anyone like "I won't buy a Ps4 because there's naked anime girls in this Japan exclusive title!!!"
For western games I asume it's to avoid the SJW mobs on social media. I don't agree with it but at least I get why they are doing it.
But is any large or loud group complaining in Japan? Or do we actually have people in the west complaining about the content in Japan only games? Is anyone like "I won't buy a Ps4 because there's naked anime girls in this Japan exclusive title!!!"
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Barakov
Member
Sony is so entrenched in censorship that they're doing it in real life, too!
Remember when Sony wanted to "crank up communication with fans"?
Kinda crazy how fast this has gained traction. I imagine there is a small faction in SONY that says "We hear your compalaints and want to make this right" but this won't happen until the shareholders see money is being lost. PS32.0 is coming.
joe_zazen
Member
Sony has changed its policies and no longer wants niche games/gamers on their platform. I dont dont know if these companies will have a choice.
SoulChamber
Member
With all of the fucked up decisions Sony has been making as of lately, such as no crossplay, bumping the yearly PS+ subscription from $50 to $60, this shit, etc., I wouldn't be surprised if Sony themselves will do some incredibly fucked up shit with the PS5 that'll be even worse than the $600 price tag with the PS3.
But that's what happens when Sony starts becoming complacent & arrogant whenever they get too comfortable with having a big lead & can start doing whatever fucked up shit that they want, just like with what happened after the PS2 when they had a huge lead. They haven't been hungry & humble since after 2016 with the PS4.
But that's what happens when Sony starts becoming complacent & arrogant whenever they get too comfortable with having a big lead & can start doing whatever fucked up shit that they want, just like with what happened after the PS2 when they had a huge lead. They haven't been hungry & humble since after 2016 with the PS4.
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joe_zazen
Member
They really are the most anti-gamer beligerant company out there right now. It is hilarious given the start of the generation.
Edit:
I wonder how funimation and crunchyroll are going to be affected now that Sony owns one (is SIE involved in funimation?) and AT&T owns the other (Americans love to tell the rest of the world what to do).
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theclaw135
Banned
Devious brilliance in disguise? Muscle out niche games insignificant to Sony's bottom line, get free publicity in the process.
Losing a vocal handful of fans is split milk next to the money they can earn by appealing to the mainstream masses.
Losing a vocal handful of fans is split milk next to the money they can earn by appealing to the mainstream masses.
Senhua
Member
For the short run yes, this move will greatly increase their wordwide mainstream fanbase + potential revenue, But in the long run? are you sure the cinematics story driven games will always be popular in the world? are they ready to burn the bridge with Japanese market and developer? How about for the big/middle Japanese pub which still focused at japan market like Sega? Are they (Sony) really ok to lost that (Sega exclusive games) too to another platform?
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Omega Supreme Holopsicon
Member
It appears they've been infiltrated by activists, depending on how serious the infiltration is there may or may not be hope. But such actions suggests significant number involved or at least high level activists are present.
The problem is the activists do not care about driving the company to bankruptcy if to do otherwise would mean putting an end to their activism.
Really how companies allow this is beyond belief. How can companies allow themselves to get filled with employees working against shareholder interest? Once you see an employee doing harmful activism, and that activism starts resulting in losses, yet the employee persists, it is time to sack him or her. And if there are others, and it is found those in HR are discriminating in favor of hiring unqualified activists, you sack those in HR too.
You think the gaming press is going to do anything? The people that celebrate such censorship, tend to be those that do not buy games, movies or comics, etc. Or at least seem so. Being pro censorship is associated with lower iq, which is associated with lower income which is associated with lower disposable income.
At the same time, this could raise the ire of free speech advocates which is the position favored by nearly 50% of the population at large, and if we're talking higher disposable income they are the greater % in support of free speech, again I repeat, the greater the disposable income, the likelier they are to support free speech.
A single whale is worth a thousand dolphins which is worth far more than the average player in mobile. In the videogame market these are the people with the big bucks, able to buy hundreds or thousands of games, even simply to sample a few hours per game.
You think going against the views, pro free speech, likely to be supported by several of the wealthiest gamers is in their favor? The higher the IQ the likelier it is a person will support free speech. And higher IQ correlates with greater income and greater success in life.
PS if the trend follows, posthumans and agis will be even more likely to favor free speech, and will have the power to overpower any and all censorious nations that intend to infringe upon the right of free speech, if they so desire.
PPS They better not censor any sequel to Nier.
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Hexa
Member
Sony Pictures are the ones that own Funimation, so no SIE involvement but still owned by an American branch of Sony.
RoyBrown7777
Member
Wake me up when a good game gets censored then I'll care. If it's just cartoons draw like little girls taken out then good luck to them.
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Solarstrike
Gold Member
S
SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
They won't. They don't care about the world outside Japan. The way Sony is going the Ps4 is the last Sony product I purchase. All I need is the Sega games to come to Nintendo/Xbox/PC and I'll be set.
Pallas
Member
Looks like another game has been forced to go through Sony’s newly implemented regulating system.
https://www.oneangrygamer.net/2018/...-release/71173/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
EDIT: The game is also Japanese only, so it pretty much confirms that not only those slated for release in the West are affected, but those that are staying in Japan, have to go through the process. Seems to only affect games with “fan service” ?
https://www.oneangrygamer.net/2018/...-release/71173/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
EDIT: The game is also Japanese only, so it pretty much confirms that not only those slated for release in the West are affected, but those that are staying in Japan, have to go through the process. Seems to only affect games with “fan service” ?
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