Resident Evil Director Thinks Game Censorship Sucks

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered's October release reignites the debate surrounding Japan's CERO age rating system. The game's creators, Suda51 and Shinji Mikami, openly criticize the censorship imposed on the Japanese console version.

Suda51 and Shinji Mikami Condemn Censorship in Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered

CERO Faces Renewed Backlash

The creative duo behind Shadows of the Damned, Suda51 and Shinji Mikami, have voiced their disappointment with Japan's CERO rating board following the censorship of the remastered version for Japanese consoles. In an interview with GameSpark, they openly challenged the board's decisions and the rationale behind the restrictions.

Suda51, known for titles like Killer7 and No More Heroes, confirmed the necessity of creating two versions of the game – a censored version for Japan and an uncensored version for other regions. This, he stated, significantly increased development time and workload.

Mikami, renowned for his work on Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, and God Hand, expressed concern that CERO is disconnected from modern gamers. He argued that preventing players from experiencing the full game, particularly those seeking "edgier" content, is counterintuitive.

CERO's ratings (CERO D for 17+ and CERO Z for 18+) have been a subject of ongoing debate. Mikami's original Resident Evil, a pioneer in the horror genre, featured graphic content and its 2015 remake, similarly gory, received a CERO Z rating.

Suda51 questioned the effectiveness and target audience of these restrictions, wondering if they truly reflect the desires of the players themselves. He highlighted the added burden on developers and the lack of clear justification for the censorship.

This isn't the first instance of CERO facing criticism. Earlier this year, EA Japan's Shaun Noguchi highlighted inconsistencies in CERO's ratings, citing the approval of Stellar Blade (CERO D) while rejecting Dead Space.