Update: Wired Productions has responded to our request for comment, but hasn't really elaborated further unfortunately. A spokesperson said: "Wired do not currently have anything to add to what we detailed in the statement on Twitter, but if that changes I will of course come to you immediately."
Original Story: Martha Is Dead will be censored on the PlayStation 5 and PS4, publisher Wired Productions has announced. The potentially “distressing” horror game will release unedited on other platforms, like Xbox and PC, but the company states that “it is with regret we have had to modify the experience [on Sony’s consoles] with some elements no longer playable”.
We’ve reached out to the organisation to try and get clarification of what has actually been changed and why, and will update if and when we receive a response. Some fans hypothesise that the modifications may relate to a scene in which you’re required to surgically remove a corpse’s face, which you then proceed to wear as a mask. Grim stuff!
Still, that doesn’t seem much worse than anything depicted in Mortal Kombat 11 or even Sony’s own The Last of Us: Part II, both of which are grotesquely sadistic at times and available uncensored on PlayStation platforms. Again, we’re awaiting confirmation of exactly what’s been changed, so it may be worth keeping your pitchforks down – at least until we have the full picture.
As a result of the last-minute changes, the physical version of Martha Is Dead has been delayed, although the digital version will still be available on the PS Store from 24th February. According to Wired Productions, it anticipates the retail release to be available within weeks of its originally intended release date, so it’s not like there’s going to be a huge postponement if you prefer to own your games on Blu-ray.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 194
From what I've seen on twitter - it sounds like this game is getting kinda weird with the violent stuff.
Not that I necessarily think it should be censored but it sounds to me like something to stay away from anyway...
Wow thank you so much for protecting me Sony!! I’m so glad you were there to choose what was appropriate for me despite me being an adult and having ratings with descriptions to help make educated choices. Hopefully a TLOU2 pacifist patch is coming shortly as well 😃!
I guess this is a boon for this completely obscure random game to get some publicity
From what I've heard there's a mini game where you scalp a corpse and put the skin on as a mask. At least that's what a few people have pointed out on Twitter. Don't know if there's any truth to that or whether it's just another rumor. This scene does exist in the demo already but whether that is the real reason, no idea.
Yeah, I too find it hard to believe that this game beats MK11 in the gruesome department.
I mean, I just wouldn’t buy the game. Must be some other reason or they’re a bit hypocritical.
A game I’ll never play then 🤷♂️
@Voltan I watched the scene everyone's talking about and it definitely looks horrible, but it's no worse than anything in Mortal Kombat 11.
That said, we need to get confirmation from Wired Productions about what's been edited and why. There could be even darker stuff in the final game, so best to keep the pitchforks down for now.
(Although I'm generally against censorship in almost all cases — I think consumers should be able to make a decision for themselves.)
Can't stand censorship but I wasn't going to buy this game anyway. If I was I would likely buy it on PC.
All censorship is evil and ineffective.
Not a fan of censorship in any way… can’t believe Sony is role-playing Nintendo and Microsoft is Sega in this crazy paradigm. I WAS ALWAYS FRIKKIN’ SEGA GODDAMIT!!!!
Yeah I need details because if is cause of gore then I would demand censorship patches for tlous2 and all past and future Mortal Kombat games, some games shouldn't get special treatment above others.
I'm not really aligned to any console but the ps5 definitely gets the most use, however censorship, more than anything else that's been happening lately, is much more irritating to me and Sony seems to be the main culprit these days. Not good
I'm generally against media censorship, but I wonder whether the line crossed was one of having to do grotesque stuff to progress the story, versus having the option to do grotesque stuff, which is more common?
@Juanalf I assume you're joking but something tells me you're not 🙂
Apparently it's the scene where you bludgeon somebody to death with an Xbox.
@Deljo about what the censorship patches? I would prefer no censorship but if things need to be censored because Sony loves bad PR then yeah I want it to at least be consistent and across the board 🙂
While I'm not too comfortable with these kinds of horror games, It's kinda hypocritical for Sony to do this when games like Mortal Kombat 11 and The Last of Us 2 introduces some nasty stuff yet are uncensored on Playstation. Seriously, Sony, this is not a good picture. Might as well get the xbox and pc version to those who are interested...
Time for people to sell their PS5 and get a Series X. Everyone thought they wouldn't need to as Call of Duty is staying on PlayStation but this is the game everyone wants to play this year and they do this.
Or maybe just 7 people care about this enough to blow a gasket.
Maybe rape? Scalping isn't crazy considering MK exists
Unacceptable!
Sony shouldn't do this, censorship is bad.
M-rated game, f'ing ridiculous to censor it. If it ends up being worth a purchase (and the jury is still out on that), guess I have to go with Xbox.
@Gloamin I totally get why you’re annoyed but there is a limit when it comes to horror movies too. Like some stuff goes straight to video or just outright doesn’t pass the certification boards if it’s past a line. So maybe this is just the equivalent?
If the game is good I'll just buy it on Xbox. There a PEGI age rating for a reason, I am sure adults can choose to play or not play it.
Remember "no russian" or the torture sequence in gta v or the video game hatred or god of war 1-3 or thrill kill or..
I'll decide what I can play plz Sony ,I am grown up
It’s funny cos I always associated x-box as more of the kid’s console. If it’s good enough for them it’s good enough for me?! Yeh.. dodgy assumption
@nessisonett Steam and Xbox have no issues with this game so I don't think Sony is in the right here.
@Cadeni I never said Sony were in the right at all. It’s just the differences of a more closed ecosystem I guess.
I think it’s the scalping scene from what I see online.
As stupid as this sounds with the MK argument it’s context. Mortal Kombat is seen as this hyper violent cartoon with over the top violence that has somehow become normalized. This is a slow paced horror that relishes in this horrible stuff so you get something completely different from it sensory wise.
Either way this is dumb.
Censoring a horror game for having horror that's isn't outside the bounds of genre expectations? That's the worst kind of censorship, the self-serving kind.
Of course it is , that’s new era american sony for you . playstation feels more like a kids console than nintendo nowadays . jim ryan’s crusade of ruining playstation wont stop
@PhhhCough or outlast 1 and 2 . it’s a lot of games that we’re able to exist last gen and back , but i don’t think this console generation will be the same . cancel culture is here now
There’s no hope for GTA6
From what I heard the scene in question is pretty grim, bordering on A Serbian Film terrority.
Censorship in a playstation game and it's not anime tiddies? Now I'm curious
@riceNpea That's like an anime ecchi game getting censored because it contains ecchi scenes..... Oh wait
Seriously though sony are getting stricter with games whilst other consoles stay more lenient. All this will do is lose sony some sales which only ends up hurting them instead of protecting us
@get2sammyb Have to disagree with comparing it to TLOU or MK. MK is more hyper cartoon violence that no one takes seriously. And while TLOU is grim at times it's absolute worst moments tend to be off camera.
@AdamNovice "MK is more hyper cartoon violence that no one takes seriously" Doom Eternal is Hyper Cartoon violence, MK11 absolutely isn't. The moves are over the top yes, but to keep the gore realistic NTR made their animators look up "Real Life research material". One of their devs got diagnosed with PTSD after all.
@UltimateOtaku91 That censoring makes no sense when you consider Sony is the leading distributor of Anime and probably makes profit of those same people playing with Anime tiddies, I guess they prefer you watch your filth instead of playing it🤦
I don't understand how some here are defending Sony on this one, even if you're a super fanboy this makes Sony look like authoritarians (for no reason) and generates more of those negative headlines you hate so much so why would you be pro censoring rated M games?
@Cadeni Yeah I heard about that and frankly they shouldn't be going that far but I don't think people get offended or grossed out on MK's violence because of how it's depicted. From what I've heard about this game it sounds more personal and in your face what has a feeling of "no that's just wrong on many levels"
If nothing else I'm definitely interested in a game I knew nothing about👍
I don't care about censorship of violence, it isn't really something I want to see to the extent that it's going to hurt my soul. Political or sexual censorship I hate, but then again, I'm fine with censorship of pedo stuff.
@Cadeni MK11 graphics is not full on realism ; it has a blend of cartoon in it , and it’s especially evident when you see how terrible the blood animation looks . it’s extremely thick and looks like (red) nickelodeon slime . red dead redemption 2 on the other hand is realistic . & the real life search material they looked up was most likely to have the anatomy and dismemberment accurate , but not the look of the gore and blood itself .
hell , even the effects of the dismemberment in MK11 isn’t all that realistic . scorpions fatality for example where he spits you in two is really fake .
Sony is completely fine with gore, so there must be just a bit too much booba for their tastes.
@Juanalf I agree, I watch a lot of anime and was worried at first when sony bought funimation and crunchy roll die to their censorship nature, but they have left the actual anime untouched.
Also ecchi anime have blu Ray ratings of age 16 and 18 so why not just incorporate that into anime games that include those scenes.
Its like they are scared that if they higher the age rating then younger teens and kids won't get it, but little do they know that no one pays attention to age ratings on games, gakd the GTA community are minors who's parents gladly let them play it.
Also this may be just guessing but I'd wager no kids are playing games like senran kagura and Gal Gun
Sony censoring anime games and gore is not OK as it will lead to even more things getting censored next, animal cruelty will be next (which would p**s off Kurt zouma) such as no hunting in games etc then it will be too much blood not aloud, then bad language etc
@3MonthBeef Apparently the game has warnings too, although I appreciate you've spent your money by that point.
This is an absolute marketing coup for Wired Productions. It will be impossible not to hear about this game for the next few days as everyone gets busy gnashing their teeth online about censorship. I do wish Sony would stop with this foolishness though, since they always come out looking bad.
I'll be buying this on Xbox now. **** Sony's selective censorship.
@Enigk This is a stupid comment. You're saying things for the sake of saying things without actually talking about the topic.
If a game is "safe" for gamers at a specific rating on any other platform, then why not PlayStation? This just screams of Sony's new, near American-Evangelical approach to censorship.
Or maybe it's Jim Ryan that doesn't like tits and gore.
It seems ridiculous to have an officially rated game cut certain things out. DMC5 Blur effects anyone?
@colonelkilgore Sony is indeed being 90s nintendo right now.
Nintendo doesn’t censor third party games anymore I think. They learned their lesson.
I will be another who no longer buys this game on PS - I should be allowed to choose what I play - censorship of this nature is pointless and its regularity on PS is turning me off the brand, not what PS should be doing when they are finally having a decent challenge from Microsoft!
Anyway, off to get with a hooker in GTA and then bludgeon her to death to retrieve my money afterwards! Good wholesome Sony acceptable fun!!
For anyone wondering this is the scene that caused it to get censored,
https://t.co/BNonwzfI3f
@Snake_V5 wow. That is terrible
@Snake_V5 That scene warrants an AO rating. I am surprised that it got away scot-free on Xbox with an M rating.
I would be okay if they censored that scene on consoles with an optional free DLC for the uncensored version.
@colonelkilgore Not that it’s a good game, but this reminds me of BMX XXX. Unedited full frontal nudity on Nintendo GameCube and the OG Xbox, but censored on PlayStation 2.
@Snake_V5 awesome!
I don't get it, did Sony hire some out of touch karen for a specific "censorship department" and decide what game is safe from being censored and what game should be censored or something? Who does this benefit from? This just drive away the potential customers from buying the PS version and just go get the uncensored version on other platforms instead.
disgusting behaviour, this sort of thing would genuinely encourage me to leave the PS ecosystem, adults can decide for themselves what they want to engage with
Funny how everyone on here magically has an Xbox now and will opt for that version lol .
Maybe this is why Silent Hill was cancelled. Censored into oblivion.
Guess I will cancel my pre-order and play the Jack Sparrow version on PC.
@Gloamin It’s more like how movies like Cannibal Holocaust only existed back in the day as basically underground rips and dodgy screenings. No mainstream establishment would stock it and so it was a cult film. With PC gaming, that spirit lives on in files shared on the internet, but with Playstation, you absolutely have to go through Sony. You can’t burn an unofficial PS4 game to a disc and distribute it to your pals.
Personally for me, Tetsuo The Iron Man is my hard limit for body horror and so I wouldn’t seek out anything worse but I absolutely wouldn’t want to go back to the days of Mary Whitehouse getting on her soapbox and decrying ‘satanic’ video nasties. The real problem here is Sony’s lack of an X Rating equivalent. The 18 age rating for movies also has its limits but it can always release unrated and only show in underground theatres. No such thing for games! So it does make sense that some games would have to be edited to squeak by as an 18+, despite it seeming like they’d have free rein. Perhaps we need some sort of higher age rating, to avoid another Manhunt situation?
@nessisonett If that’s the case, it should be rated AO and be banned from all consoles, but this is an M rated game that is supposedly coming to Xbox unedited.
What the $&?@ gives Sony?
@nomither6 we cancel, "cancel culture". We need to remind people offended doesn't mean entitled
I gotta say, censoring videogames is one of the most stupid things lol Unless it's something REALLY offensive to religion or something, it's really really dumb to censor a game. Wearing a face as a mask? Many games did worse things
Y'all showed them it was okay when they started censoring senran kagura and you excused it away.
@DefiledViper The shade of it all lol. I can understand when a horror game crosses the line and some content has to be cut, but this is Sony being a jerk.
Sony ***** on Indie Devs again while AAA is allowed to do what they want. Typical.
@nessisonett tetsuo 1 and 2 were pretty disgusting but there are films (men behind the sun,serbian movie,nekromantik) that are just horrible and i've never seen a serbian movie but read enough to know that its just not for me..i remember when the band skinny puppy sent a jap movie called guinea pig 1 to charlie sheen and he sent it to the F.B.I. because he thought it was real ffs 🤣..
@Cadeni
Yeah but MK is so over the top violent it's almost funny/stupid, it lacks "realism" unlike Martha abit more psycho realism, at least that's how I see it/sonys decision
@__jamiie It was meant to be a stupid comment. Most of the things I say are stupid comments. It annoyed the hell out of my English teacher at school.
This is just a mildly frustrating issue. Censorship varies by country and it also varies by console. At least it is easier to change which console you have.
@Enigk Fair play. Sorry. I wish you all the best.
I really don't mind censorship in videogames (especially when it comes to sexualizing minors). It doesn't affect any of the gameplay and often isn't noticable when you don't know it's censored.
That being said I did watch the scene that's most likely being censored and I really didn't think it was that bad. It reminds me a bit of the scene in Dead Space 2 where you have to put a needle in your eye although the latter one made me much more uncomfortable.
Not even that bad, tiny bit of blood and a pale face, how horrible 😱 Hell, resident evil 2 remake had a police mans lower jaw ripping off showing more than this and that was a 15. Dead space had the eye scene, the outlast dlc with the scientist, there has been much worse.
Also push square censors comments from naughty words but is freely showing 18+ video content in the articles so there's that 😂
ESRB rating Summary. my bet is on cutting the fetus out of the dead woman
This a horror adventure game in which players assume the role of a woman (Guilia) trying to solve the mystery of her twin sister's murder. From a first-person perspective, players explore an Italian countryside in 1944, interact with characters, solve puzzles and gather clues to the murder. As the narrative progresses, the game depicts surreal, nightmare sequences of intense violence: Guilia cutting the face off a corpse and wearing its flesh; Guilia cutting a corpse's stomach open and pulling out a dead fetus; a character slitting her wrist open. One sequence depicts a character shooting a bound woman off-screen, then burying the dismembered corpse. The game contains dialogue that references sexual material (e.g., “…[Y]ou're just a useless little slut”; “I'm pregnant with [his] baby. We had sex…”; “…the raping being committed by invading soldiers”). During the course of the game, a corpse is depicted with exposed breasts, and tarot cards include small drawings of nude women. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” are heard in the game.
I can't stand body horror movies, I'm too squirmish.
But I'm totally fine with it all in video games because it's just not on the same level of realism.
I suggest new slogans:
"Play Has a Lot of Limits™"
"This is For the Squeamish Players™"
"Censorship Awaits™"
@TwomanybuttonS so this game appears to be in the "giallo" genre...sounds like something dario argento would dream up..
I'm not saying it's okay for Sony to do this, but if it is really the scalping/skinning scene that's caused... We can't compare it to The Last of Us Part II.
There goes my hopes for a PSVR2 patch
This may warrant calling Sony out, but until we actually know what's been censored I'd suggest its a little early to be drawing conclusions.
I don't like this style of game at the best of times, but if it forces you to do pretty unsavory things without a choice, then maybe it does cross a line - we cant know without knowing what was objected to.
Sony don't censor a lot of things, so I assume it was probably pushing the boundaries... be interesting to hear more.
Bad move from Sony, forcing censorship on their player base whilst other platforms let it pass is not cool!
In regards to censorship the japs have always seemed to be ok with gore (they have some of the most disturbing movies out there..anything in the catagory 3 is rough) but i think they draw the line at nudity as i remember a movie called in the realm of the senses causing a big furore upon its release in japan..i think its strange if its been censored for nudity in europe and england so i'm assuming its the violence especially violence towards women thats maybe causing the issue..who knows?
@Northern_munkey In Japan there is a baffling inconsistency between movies and games. As you said, violent movies seem to be fine, but in games they've been clamping down harder and harder recently. For example, both Resident Evil remakes are censored here, and very often any western M-rated game will have some kind of censorship to blood and gore. Decaptations and dismembered limbs are banned. Also, bare breasts are completely banned too, regardless of the age rating of the game, despite being fine in films, TV shows, and magazines (you can walk into a book store here and see magazine covers with an anime girl with fully exposed breasts, right next to the kids' comic section). I think games are still largely seen as being for children here, but even so, the regulations don't make any sense, no matter how you look at them.
I wonder does it come down to the level of intimacy of the violence or the type of gratification that is being offered.
The other games they chose to censor I completely understand. This one I think I would need an explanation for.
Also, I had never heard of this game before. This is the best kind of advertisement for a game like this. Similar to how various governments would try to ban violent games back in the day, and inevitably we would all flock to those games as a result.
@RainbowGazelle Ah now this is interesting. Thanks for sharing this info 😊
I had half an eye on this game but now I’ll likely hold off, maybe pick up on a pc sale if looks good. Not a fan of Sony deciding what my 39 year old self can see.
The censorship thing is a weird one. On one hand, I believe that any platform holder is well within their rights to choose what content is and isn’t available on their platform, as long as there are set rules that are fairly enforced to all. After all, this isn’t a DVD player, it’s a storefront, social network and home entertainment device all rolled into one.
However, having a cut down version of the game is more problematic. Personally I’d say either the full game makes it or not at all, but then I guess that’s down to the developer/publisher rather than Sony.
@RainbowGazelle its a strange world we live in..thanks for the clarification 👍
This is NOT the way.
For this kind of things is that I hope Xbox gets better and bigger. Sony is dropping the ball here. I hope they pay the price and learn their lesson. I love you, Sony but this is wrong.
Oh dear. We gonna hear again and again in all articles from activists against Sony censorship now even if they don’t give a 4k about the game.
Game should be for adult only that’s for sure. Yea it’s more shocking than TLOU2
(I’m not for censorship though)
Edit
There should be no censorship but just make sure it’s clearly marked for Adult only.
I was actually planning to play this only on the Steam Deck, so it's not something I'm bothered, but it does seem rather strange that Sony made most of their fortune with some very gore oriented games, (Silent Hill, The Last of Us, God of War, Resident Evil, MK), and so on, but decides that a small dev team cannot include their full vision of a game in their system. It's indeed ironic. As to that scene mentioned, I've seen it also, and albeit a bit awkward, it's no more gory than somethings in MK or TLOU, to say the least. In my perspective, it's quite a bold move from the team, since horror games tend to be a bit on the safe side. And did Sony forgot about Outlast 2? That game as one of the most gruesome scenes I've ever seen in any media, but they decided to leave it?
Some of the scenes online are not exactly my cup of tea,(even though I'm partial to the odd adventure/ puzzle game).
Sometimes being a perceived market "leader" can lead to a dammed if you do/don't situation...you rarely ever see XB/Switch get called out for potentially squeamish "think of the children!", moments like this.
On the other hand, when "Gamer Girl" ran its trailer & got "cancelled" by certain parts of twitter,it got traction on gaming news sites,as being associated as solely Playstation's problem when it was an indie multiformat release as far as I knew!🤔
@nessisonett
“ So it does make sense that some games would have to be edited to squeak by as an 18+, despite it seeming like they’d have free rein. Perhaps we need some sort of higher age rating, ”
Except it’s being released unmolested on Xbox and switch, so it’s clearly not about ratings at all, just Sony’s puritanical standards unfortunately.
Guess if it’s any good I’ll try it on Xbox then. Sonys censorship is a joke. They love censoring anything even remotely raunchy with Japanese games while letting us watch Abby get shagged on a boat for no reason. Good job Sony 👍🏻😂
@Fenbops Because Abby is ugly AF so nobody will find that titillating. They have a problem with beauty. Because we all have to be ugly so the weakest links don´t get offended. Damn the gym and make-up industry.
Can't compare Mortal Kombat to a phycological horror game like Martha....***** me, who writes this stuff?
Will be an Xbox purchase then. It’s a shame to see. They shouldn’t be censoring adults games at all.
For the players ....as long as we decide you can play it
I hate when Sony pulls dumb sh*t like this. Doggy from the back and dismemberment in Tlou2 is a ok 👌 though.
This is really, really stupid on Sony’s part.
It’s so weird that the Switch, a system by a company that once was notorious for its American branch censoring every single thing under the sun, has a far more libertine mindset when it comes to game content than Sony.
It’s absolutely weird. Most gamers are adults. Kids shouldn’t be playing this game, but the responsibility is on the parents to ensure that they don’t. Not Sony’s.
Well light your pitchforks and sharpen your torches, tonight we march ladies and gentlemen!
In all seriousness this sounds disgusting but I’d rather all art go uncensored. As long as the consumer has an idea of what they’re in for I don’t think the creators vision should be altered.
@Amusei
To be fair (and believe me I hate Sony forcing this studio to change their artistic vision) there isn’t anything in the Last of Us Part 2 that comes close to this game’s depiction of grotesque violence.
Yes TLOU 2 does have some very (intentionally) disturbing scenes, but it’s violence is fairly restrained most of the time. Most of the time it involves someone being beat to death, or shot, or stabbed, or having their throats slit. It doesn’t really go for the ultra grotesque stuff. It’s more about the lack of empathy and bloodlust of the characters rather than the violent actions itself.
This game, by comparison, has a sequence where you have to cut a fetus out of a woman’s womb.
Nothing on TLOU 2 comes close to that. Even the “Joel” scene isn’t that.
With that said, I hate censorship of any kind. Sony is in the wrong here by approving the game and the demanding they make changes to their artistic vision. If you have issues with the game’s content, then don’t approve it at all. It’s still stupid, but at least it’s avoiding censorship. Sony forced this studio to make changes to their game for approval. That is going way too far.
I don't care what's in this game or how dark it gets or if it forces you to carry out said dark stuff to progress... this is stupid.
You don't like dark twisted content? Don't buy the game.
Edit: can't they just have you cut the face off an animated bunny instead? i mean, that seems like a suitable compromise.
I wasn’t planning on buying this game but I will never buy it on PlayStation. Censorship is bull&$it! If I want censorship I’ll go live in China.
As much as I like Playstation, this is a bad move, image wise.
I don't even play horror games, but I can see many people being pissed off and go to a rival machine.
@Sil_Am they dont have a choice if they want to play the uncut version and lets face it. ...soon as word spreads that stuff is not available or cut it only fuels ppl to want it more ( banned videos in the 80s for example ) ,silly move by Sony they should give the buyers the choice ,I'm hoping they reverse the move
Yeah let's not censor anything and let everyone do whatever they want :-/ I am glad SONY have done it. Sometimes people just go way to far in every type of media.
I guess this isn't my sort of game! I'm not sure why people would get a kick out of cutting their dead sisters face off as a mini game. Sounds like there's plenty more gore up for grabs, though, so not sure why there's a fuss about it.
I don't understand the 'censorship is bad/there should be no censorship' arguments. Would it be OK to not only cut out a foetus but maybe cook it and eat it, for example?
There is always going to be line that shouldn't be crossed and someone who has to make that call.
@SJBUK "Would it be OK to not only cut out a foetus but maybe cook it and eat it, for example?"
If it was framed as bad, and people who would not want to consume that kind of content was prewarned and had an ability to opt out (either buy not buying the product or disabling the content), then yeah.
The issue with censorship is that these governing bodies or self appointed arbiters of decency can go too far. I mean, look at Germany. Would you like to have the same level of strictness as them, or would you prefer to have ability to choose yourself? or even find better ways to handle sensitive content?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_video_games#Germany
Edit: Remember that Goldeneye 007 was banned in Germany until very recently. Imagine not being able to buy Goldeneye 007.
It must be the scene where MS bludgeons Sony to death with more publisher buyouts, lol.
@SJBUK "There is always going to be line that shouldn't be crossed and someone who has to make that call."
Yeah, the consumer.
Myself I generally don't care about this sort of thing but I know some people do.
Why can't they just allow a damn toggle switch like they do with enabling HDR or switching between fidelity and performance modes?
Just ask on the main menu 'do you want explicit scenes censored? [Yes] [No]
Problem solved. Everyone's happy. It's not that hard Sony (of California where everything changed for the worst)
@Voltan Is Twitter still a thing?
Bit weird,if its the scene in question ,I can chop the heads,arms and legs off the human npcs in dying light 2 after theyre dead, and have multiple body parts knocking about ,but I can't skin a face ,maybe its because I choose to do these heinous acts and the game doesn't make me 😂 I find it fun😏
@GADG3Tx87 Green blood is always a winner, if people want to think of the children 😂
@SJBUK as long as its meaniful and has context, all lines should be crossed in any type of media ,surely it should be up to the player,reader,watcher to cross that line, nobody is forced to participate in content they don't feel is suitable for them.
Thanks for warning, will buy it on Xbox then.
I Am a Sony fan. I hope you fail Sony.
@vapidwolf1 "as long as its meaniful and has context, all lines should be crossed in any type of media"
Really? I'm sure child pornography is meaningful and has context for some but I'd not like to see that freely available in any form. Do you include that too?
@122Richnj No, I wouldn't like to see the same level of censorship here as they do in Germany. But I think some level is necessary and as a society there should be a constant review and discussion about it. With the views of everyone considered.
That this is being censored by the same company that was more than happy to fund and publish a murder simulator where a pregnant woman is slaughtered for nothing more than shock value is truly mind boggling. Sony's wildly inconsistent morality compass really needs to be fixed.
Removed - offensive remarks; user is banned
@vapidwolf1 There's no need for that. I challenged your statement, making the point there clearly are lines that shouldn't be crossed.
I see everyone using MK as a comparison and while I understand the comparison, in MK you just do an input and the character does the fatality. It's like a movie after you make the input. The gore is really just a cutscene.
While in this game, from what I've seen in a video, you have to press buttons and move the mouse to do the action in first person. It feels more involved. That and it's in first person which makes it seem more real.
BUT I get everyone's point and I'm not pining for censorship. Just tossing out a comparison.
@Deadlyblack I think you hit the nail on the head. It's one thing to be passive observer of something, another to be an active participant in it. They are different.
I have no idea why they decided to cut this and not something else but given the issue we have with knife crime in the UK I'm thinking maybe this wasn't a terrible decision.
I'm NOT saying any issue with knives is down to computer games. Or any other other crime, for that matter. I'm NOT pro censorship. But I do think a healthy debate about where the limits are is a good thing. And a healthy debate is one where all points of view can be aired and considered.
@vapidwolf1 - Jesus dude, you knee-jerked so hard there that you literally called @SJBUK a pedo. Get a grip mate, IRL that could get a guy killed. No need for it.
I know you reached out to them about what's been removed. But has it been removed from all PlayStation regions? I personally have multiple accounts but mainly buy from the US and Asia ( Hong Kong ) regions. In case anyone wants to know, most Asia releases also include English whereas Japanese versions don't.
@get2sammyb It’s probably best to wait for official confirmation but from what I’m seeing - all that’s being done here is player inputs are being removed from one of the scenes. So basically you’ll be watching a brutal cutscene rather than actively performing the act but otherwise nothing is removed from the game.
@Voltan that would line up with the wording of their statement. With the advent of next-gen VR, I can’t help but wonder if this will resemble Sony’s approach to this type of content moving forward if they’re drawing a line in the sand with ‘mash X and hold triggers’.
@PhhhCough I remember getting thrill kill in a market and using the spring from a pen technique with the ps1 to load it... good times 🙂
@ApostateMage 😆 🤣
@SJBUK I agree there are limits that we as a society should place in ourselves.
I think where I disagree is that the act or content itself should be limited. But rather, we should question the context in which that content is being used.
So if we were talking about rape. The act itself shouldn't be grounds for censorship. Fear 2 has a rape scene, and it's not depicted as a good thing. It's quite horrific. But if there was a game where you could force yourself in to NPCs with literally no agency, and it was framed as a positive thing, well, now you've got a problem.
Censorship sucks and all but lets be real, 99% of you are never going to buy this game. The outrage is hilarious. Most people have probably never even heard of this game before today.
What a surprise, a another bad move by Sony . People get upset there favorite company is trashed on but this is the reason why it happens, Sony is not to be trusted with anything
There is a naked female butt in the game, which they thankfully cover on Sony‘s command.
@mucc but what about the next game? Maybe they censor final fantasy? By they time they come for a game you care for the precedent is set and it’s too late.
You look at what’s been in past god of war games it feels a bit rich telling other companies what’s right.
@Cadeni Ok that makes a case for not having this kind of realism. If these things scar the people who make it.
@Robinsad When i have to cut of someones face and wear it as a mask its maybe for the best. The realism is getting better and better its just a matter of time before the news gets wind of something like this. And maybe the gaming industry gets branded its not like they have done it for less.
I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said previously, but just re-affirming that:
1. Horror games are supposed to be horrific. There is no link between just playing horror games or watching movies leads to knife crime (or any other crime). Mental illness, lack of parenting, social pressure, "social" media - they're the real bad guys here.
2. I pre-ordered this game as a full product and paid up front (I'm not just jumping on the bandwagon of MiD now its hit the headlines) - now Sony has removed a chunk of the experience, so I am now getting less of a product. Any offer of a refund? Nope.
3. LKA have obviously worked hard on this game to make it atmospheric and, yes, traumatic - they've never said otherwise. In fact, they've been careful to advise of this all the way. In censoring this work, Sony/Playstation are hurting small developers, who I thought they championed. I've no need to bring up the comparison between this small title and how others (AAA) have been apparently differently treated. There is no consistency in PlayStation's internal censorship.
Its a bad call by Sony and I hope its something they will re-think, but I'm very much doubting it. I now find myself kind of torn in that I have been faithful to Playstation from its inception because they help get titles like this from small developers in the public domain. But now I'm questioning that.
@Richnj How do i know what kind of scene there will be do i get a discription of it? Brutal is quite a big thing the COD scene for me was really bad i played it but i can understand shocked people. Cutting someones face of with inputs and wearing it as a face is on another level. But im happy i heard about so i dont have to play we all have our own lines we dont want to cross. I would love to hear people tell a PR departement how to talk about it when something like that hits the news.
@Blackhur_st You could always cancel the preorder?
@Flaming_Kaiser I'm torn tbh mate. I've been looking forward to this game for some time and I don't have another platform to play it on. I feel like it would be my tiny protest against Sony vs Supporting small developers such as LKA.
@Flaming_Kaiser we don’t even know that’s what has been censored yet. And movies depict things like this just as much. I don’t believe it should be down to Sony to censor such things but a ratings board maybe.
$ony being full off s...t as usual. People who buy this type of games are aware off what content might be in the game. Tlou1 and 2,Resi 2,3,7,8,mk etc have way worse scenes. I think they should make Funny games videogame for ps5 exclusively hehe or maybe Martyrs,august mordum underground or maybe a Serbian game all telltale style with realistic graphics.
Considering most games are usually too long now perhaps that is a blessing /jk
@Robinsad Look you dont have to agree thats my point of view looking at stuff and participating is something different.
Look i played Manhunt in my days and im getting a little older some stuff is a little messed up. I dont need brutal rape, murder in my games especially without a reason why.
You dont have to agree with me but i have my own right to think what i think. Just like with some Japanese games where really young looking girls are used to feel up. And yes i have a issue where a adult female but has been censored just as much as the rest because thats not needed.
And then i dont know what has been changed you dont do it yourself its not interactive anymore we will see what has changed.
@Blackhur_st I can understand but why dont they say what is changed instead of beating around the bush.
Maybe its not interactive anymore i dont know if that would be a issue for you who knows i can understand your point.
If its really a interactive piece where you cut of someones face and wear it as your own it would't he my thing anyway.
One thing i hate what Sony does is not making clear rules what or what not to do. You could say as a example no childlike looking characters in sexual stuff to name a example.
@vapidwolf2 That was not my intention. You said "as long as its meaniful and has context, all lines should be crossed in any type of media". I disagreed and gave an example of a line that shouldn't be crossed. I fully expected a response along the lines of "I didn't mean that, you muppet" and a clarification of your view. What I got back was bad enough to get you banned. And for the record, I didn't report your post.
I'm happy to just let it go, a misunderstanding on both sides.
@Richnj I don't think our views are very far apart.
In your example I can see the depiction of rape as legitimate in a number of situations. What I struggle with is the player interacting with it. As I see it there are degrees of interactivity.
1) a rape occurs due to an indirect action (or lack of). Is this OK? I think this can be justified in a lot of game situations.
2) "press X to rape". is this is acceptable? Maybe there are scenarios where it can be justified but I can't think of any at the moment.
3) "press X to start raping, use the left stick to..". For me that's a firm no.
@mucc precedent like this has implications for other games and how developers approach their work. Definitely not Sony's first time censoring either. Just getting kinda old. Surely you can understand.
I love PlayStation and would rather it not be known as the kiddy console where Sony thinks we shouldn't watch anything too adult or too disturbing.
Censorship is bad. Mmmmkay?
I don''t care about the game.. never even heard of it. But they should allow a user to select whether they want extreme content or not. Let the purchaser of the game decide whether they want censorship for their own personal choice or not.
@SJBUK Interesting point about rape. It's a violent, demeaning sexual domination act which takes away all humanity from the victim and leaves longlasting mental trauma. It has become widespread in horror-survival movies as had gore, body horror and dismemberment.
Gore, Body Horror and Dismemberment are now all commonplace in horror games , how long before rape becomes an in-game act, cutscene or activity you can choose to do?
Is that ethical? What purpose does it have in a game? Does it cross a line? Should that content be edited out because we know young kids play these games regardless of ratings? Is that kind of censorship justified? etc.
@Flaming_Kaiser Agreed.
I think I wouldn't be too bothered if the scenes in question were automated, rather that interactive (although I would still argue that as a sane adult, I could deal with cutting a digital face off a digital avatar (but would get no "enjoyment" out of it)). I'm more concerned that the scenes may get removed completely, which is more of an issue for me.
But also, screw that. I don't want Sony to be my Dad. Let PEGI rate it and then let the audience deal. One thing that has always had me curious is when the likes of censors at the BBFC (or Sony) decide that some material is "too much" because it might have a profound and lasting effect on the viewer, then why aren't censors going mental and slaughtering people? Because they're made of sterner stuff than your average everyday gamer?
I'm going to argue "not".
@Flaming_Kaiser Some games have a content warning and toggle option now. Giving people an opt out at the beginning, or even during the scene to skip, and respecting the audience's maturity level, for them to maturely decide what content they consume.
I just don't agree that "some people don't want to see/do that" is solid reasoning for the content not being present at all.
I had to back off watching the Criminal Mind shows because the episodes involving child cases were getting too much for me emotionally (but my partner loves them). Just, rather than complain that they existed at all, or ask "why isnt the government or network censoring these for me?". I respected the creator's goals for the show and made a conscious effort to avoid the ones I couldn't personally handle.
Puritan Sony strikes again
@ATaco then why did Sony have DDLC censored?
@anoyonmus Because cute anime girls are a sin.
@Grimwood trust me, some religions are not to be messed with unless you want to suffer some kind of attack or boycott.
@ATaco and why did Sony censor DMC 5?
Thanks for baby sitting me sony, where would I be without you!
@anoyonmus Because Sony hates nudity? Aren't you kind of providing my point now? It certainly wasn't the blood and violence they censored.
@ATaco I know. Sorry about that. Just testing you.
But yeah, this sucks. Why did violence have to get censored from Sony is my question
It’s probably not even related to violence, it’s more likely that Sony requested the developers add a bloom of light over a character’s exposed butt cheeks
I'll still be playing the game on PlayStation, only game on Xbox if it's an exclusive!
@Richnj I loved Manhunt when i was young but if its with the realism of now I dont know if i would like it anymore. But you have a point they could do that i just hope they never will put gaming under a magnifying glass with stuff this brutal you never know what will come from that.
@Blackhur_st Then again you do have people with PTSD that had to make the violence as realistic as possible.
You know what i cant answer that i really cant but if its ever going to be in the news i would not want to be guy who has defend this stuff. I know people can make their own choices but you know its hard to defend with a public outrage.
Again i can see both sides the only thing i have issues with is the Japanese games where shows girls that look like 14 and say yea in the description she is 18 and feel her up but thats me.
Whatever the reason, Sony should not censor content.
If they don’t like elements of a game they shouldn’t carry it on their platform.
Can we stop acting like this game matters? Its going to be trash.
Regardless of the game's quality in the end this is a bad look for Sony. Ratings boards are there for a reason Sony. Let them do their job!
For me this has a hint of "Agony", all hype on how scary/distressing it was etc but then ended up to be a huge mess. I genuinely hope this is not the case with this though.
So we still don't know what has been edited then.
I'm all for censoring scenes where players are rewarded for molesting anime kids, as others have mentioned, but I'm raising my eyebrows at this one.
Still, I'm reserving judgement until we know for certain what has been blocked and why.
I find it somewhat sad that they are acting high and mighty and dont tell us whats changed? But another thing is that Sony should be more straight forward with what is accepted.
is this more gruesome that the surgery on Isaac in dead space. nope your censorship has lost me. il pick this up on steam or xbox.
Sony dont make a habit of this,youll loose game sales people will just buy on other platforms.
Oh no! Anyway…
channeling my inner Jeremy Clarkson
I find the whole censorship in video games blown way out of proportion. It's usually for naked scenes ("Oh, noes, I won't see a naked body, my entire experience is ruined"), or for unsettling things like this (if some of the comments I read are correct). Now if they start censoring political critique or important things, we can talk.
I fully realize that most gamers feel differently, though.
Boot up a CapCom game on PS1.
"This game contains scenes of explicit violence and gore."
Boot up a horror game on PS5.
"RREEEEEEE!"
@dschons we literally had serial killers like ED GEIN and JEFFREY DAHMER and this still was widely publicized to society, uncensored and on display.. There are worst things that happen everyday in our world, that will dwarf a 2 minute scene in an adult rated videogame experience.. I guess they feel like little Fortnite kids will get a hold of a copy and we will have raging maniacs prowling our streets!
@Deljo tell me you are over 40 with out telling me you are "over 40!" Ha! I had that game also, and playing as a sadistic serial killing surgeon was kinda funny to me.. I don't know why the game was banned, it wasnt even that good at the end of the day.. I think it had "demonic overtones" and there was this Christian movement in all media back then, trying to "root out all evil" or some crap...
@Bizl we literally watched JOEL's head get beat in with a friggen golf club by Abby in TLOU 2, with sounds and splattering blood! " yeah okay Sony I see you REALLY are being proactive about this violence stuff!" /s
@MakersMark Why are you telling me this? I wasn't defending censorship, lol.
Well the game sounds horrible, but great advertising. Hundreds of people who'd likely never heard of it a few days ago pledging to buy it in some form.
And so the slippery slope continues.
@colonelkilgore What? Nintendo has soft core porn on the Switch. Even games like "Bombing *****" is "Bombing Busters" on PS. Sony are the only one's actively censoring games these days. Everyone else doesn't have these issue.
Epic fail on Sony's part. There's no defending any kind of
censorship, yet I expect some here will when it's their team doing the thing they otherwise don't like. I'd get this title elsewhere.
Stop treating your customers like 4YO's, Sony.
@EVIL-C yeah I wasn’t referring to these days bud… I would’ve though the reference to Sega and Nintendo as replacements for MS and Sony was implicit enough.
@EVIL-C " There's no defending any kind of censorship"
Yes, there most certainly is in pedo games, sorry I meant in games where you fondle with a 10 year old looking character's breasts, who is ackchuyally a 5 thousand year old goddess trapped in a child's body.
@naruball so what game are you talking about… I’m asking for a friend… honest? 🥸
@colonelkilgore let me google that... oh wait
I simply disagree with the principle that censorship is always wrong. In some cases it arguably is (for example, when there is a double standard), in some it most certainly isn't (pedo things). As for me, whether there is or isn't makes zero difference, as it doesn't affect my gaming experience. I don't play pedo games and even in games that I play, whether I see a butt or not makes no difference.
(edit: the super old person trapped in a child's body was a reference to Seven Deadly Sins. Seeing a grown man kissing what looked like a child made me drop the show)
I had this on preorder for PS5, cancelled it over this censorship.
Will be getting on Xbox instead.
If the game has passed the rating system it should be left alone and released, Sony made these demands after the Pegi rating was applied.
I won't except censorship on the literature I read and neither on the games I play.
Jeez man...reading through these comments...it's like no one here knows that Sony's been doing this since 2018. Or I guess no one cares until it starts effecting games they actually care about. Not sure whether Sony or humanity is more disappointing...
Removed - unconstructive; user is banned
Removed - unconstructive; user is banned
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...