In the past few hours, the developers of The Callisto Protocol have claimed to have canceled the launch of the title in Japan: let’s find out the reasons and all the details together
Coming December 2nd on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X | S, The Callisto Protocol is one of the most anticipated games by those who, at the time, loved Dead Space (waiting for the remake) also and above all because however, we speak of the same author, Schofield (former boss of Sledgehammer Games and Visceral Games). The news that has been taking place in the past few hours is that the guys from Striking Distance Studios have announced that the game will not be released in Japan due to the excessive restrictions imposed by the CERO rating. To fit their standards, it seems, they would have to over-modify the game.
The announcement would have come via the game’s official Twitter channels and would have generated a long discussion that was attended by various industry experts. These include Serkan Toto, a Tokyo analyst, who said that gaming censorship in Japan has visibly worsened since CERO was established in 2002. Among the censored games we also find The Last of Us, Cyberpunk 2077, Uncharted, The Witcher 3, GTA V and many others. Obviously, the censorship also affects titles born in Japan, such as the Resident Evil series, which are very different from Western releases. Then it is also true that in Japan it often happens that the games are then republished in the uncensored version, the most violent one (of any form of violence we talk about) that inevitably … sells even more.
— The Callisto Protocol (@CallistoGameJP) October 26, 2022
The Callisto Protocol canceled in Japan due to excessive censorship: here is the official release from the developers
The official Tweet of Striking Distance Studios, which you find above, reads:
We have made the decision to cancel the Japanese version of The Callisto Protocol. We understand that the game will never exceed the CERO rating in its current state and that changing its content would not guarantee gamers the experience they expect. We hope all of you who are in Japan can understand.
The Tweet concludes with the reassurance that anyone who pre-ordered The Callisto Protocol in Japan, now canceled, will receive refunds. What do you think of it? Let us know below in the comments, we will continue to keep you updated with all the news, guides and reviews on gaming and tech themes! And if you are interested in game keys at affordable prices, we recommend that you take a look at the InstantGaming catalog!