Just over a month away from the official release of The Callisto Protocol, the new survival horror developed by Striking Distance Studios. The game will be released on December 2 worldwide except for Japan, where it was deemed too violent.
The ZERO – the Tokyo rating agency – had asked the developer to “soften” some features of the game. Striking Distance Studios rejected that request, however, explaining that removing certain content would affect the gaming experience. In the past, CERO had imposed the change on numerous Western titles such as The Last of Us, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3 and Grand Theft Auto 5.
The Callisto Protocol will not be released in Japan: the official announcement
The announcement came with a tweet on the game’s Japanese page. The translated post reads:
“We have decided to suspend the release of the Japanese version of the game with immediate effect. The CERO rating cannot be exceeded. We have decided that we would not be able to deliver the promised gaming experience to you. Hopefully everyone in Japan will understand. Those who have booked the ticket will be reimbursed ”.
1) The Callisto Protocol’s release is canceled in Japan.
Local ratings agency CERO did not like the level of violence in the game, and the developer refuses to comply with their demands.
Many people don’t know a LOT of games are censored in Japan. https://t.co/SQaxkEu2Ar
— Dr. McCarthy. Enter Toto / Kantan Games Inc. (@serkantoto) October 27, 2022
The Callisto Protocol comes as a spiritual sequel to the Dead Space saga. Below is the official trailer of the videogame that will be released on December 2nd on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S. Pre-orders are already open at this link.