Suda51 and Shinji Mikami Reprimand Shadows Of The Damned's CensorshipJapan's CERO Board Faces Backlash Again
Suda51, known for his work on titles like Killer7 and the No More Heroes series, confirmed to GameSpark that the upcoming remaster of Shadows of the Damned needed censorship for its release on Japanese consoles. "We had to prepare two versions of the game, which is a real challenge," he said. "In remastering the game, we had to develop two versions concurrently, which significantly impacted our workload and extended the development period."
Co-creator Shinji Mikami, best known for working on acclaimed mature-rated games such as Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, and God Hand, was disappointed by CERO’s approach, arguing that the board is disconnected from today's gaming community. "I think it's a peculiar situation for people who don't play games to try to censor these works and prevent players from experiencing the game's full potential, even though there are players who want to enjoy these 'edgy' games."
Suda51 questioned the rationale behind these limitations. "If regional limitations are implemented, we must address them professionally, but I always ponder the views of the players [and fans]," he stated. He added: "What is the objective of these restrictions? Whom do these restrictions target? At minimum, I believe they do not target the players themselves."
This isn't the first instance of CERO facing criticism regarding its rating methods. In April, during the release of Stellar Blade, EA Japan General Manager Shaun Noguchi expressed apprehension about the board’s inconsistencies. He highlighted the disparity between CERO’s decision to grant Stellar Blade a CERO D (17+) rating while rejecting EA’s survival horror title Dead Space.